Proteases likely arose at the earliest stages of protein evolution as simple destructive enzymes necessary for protein catabolism and the generation of amino acids in primitive organisms. For many years, studies on proteases focused on their original roles as blunt aggressors associated with protein demolition. However, the realization that, beyond these nonspecific degradative functions, proteases act as sharp scissors and catalyze highly specific reactions of proteolytic processing, producing new protein products, inaugurated a new era in protease research . The current success of research in this group of ancient enzymes derives mainly from the large collection of findings demonstrating their relevance in the control of multiple biological processes in all living organisms . Thus, proteases regulate the fate, localization, and activity of many proteins, modulate protein-protein interactions, create new bioactive molecules, contribute to the processing of cellular information, and generate, transduce, and amplify molecular signals. As a direct result of these multiple actions, proteases influence DNA replication and transcription, cell proliferation and differentiation, tissue morphogenesis and remodeling, heat shock and unfolded protein responses, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, ovulation, fertilization, wound repair, stem cell mobilization, hemostasis, blood coagulation, inflammation, immunity, autophagy, senescence, necrosis, and apoptosis