Tags: Protein.
Serpins are a group of proteins with similar structures that were first identified as a set of proteins able to inhibit proteases. The acronym serpin was originally coined because many serpins inhibit chymotrypsin-like serine proteases (serine protease inhibitors).The first members of the serpin superfamily to be extensively studied were the human plasma proteins antithrombin and antitrypsin which play key roles in controlling blood coagulation (e.g. Figure 1) and inflammation respectively.
