Proteolytic signaling in cutaneous wound healing

Proteolysis is an irreversible posttranslational modification that is abundant in a myriad of biological mechanisms across all forms of life. Cutaneous wound healing comprises a wide range of orchestrated processes and signaling pathways that operate in a considerably large time frame until the skin is repaired. Among them, proteolytic activation and protease-dependent signaling pathways play pivotal roles. From the initial stages of hemostasis with activation of the coagulation cascade to collagen activation and organization, proteolytic enzymes play an important role in all phases of wound healing, either by activating precursor proteoforms or by degrading substrate proteins. Proteolytic networks are naturally under stringent regulation, and irregular activity or expression of proteases gives rise to healing pathologies. In this chapter, we review proteolytic pathways and proteases involved in cutaneous wound healing and discuss the implications of their activities in physiological processes.