Regulatory Role of the Serpin Strain

The native forms of common globular proteins are in their most stable state but the native forms of plasma serpins (serine protease inhibitors) show high-energy state interactions. The high-energy state strain of a ${\alpha}$$_1$-antitrypsin, a prototype serpin, is distributed throughout the whole molecule, but the strain that regulates the function directly appears to be localized in the region where the reactive site loop is inserted during complex formation with a target protease.(omitted)