useful as research reagents for specifically binding the x mb1 subunit or alpha chain and inhibiting the proteolytic activities associated with it for example the activity of and specific inhibitors of other subunits of the proteasome can be determined most cellular proteins are subject to proteolytic processing during maturation or activation compound 3 can be used to determine whether a cellular developmental or physiological process or output is regulated by the proteolytic activity of the proteasome one such method includes obtaining an organism an intact cell preparation or a cell extract exposing the organism cell preparation or cell extract to a compound of a formula disclosed herein exposing the compound exposed organism cell preparation or cell extract to a signal and monitoring the process or output the high selectivity of the compounds disclosed herein permits rapid and accurate elimination or implication of the proteasome in a given cellular developmental or physiological process the compounds and compositions of the invention are useful in several methods including a method of treating inflammation comprising administering to a subject an effective anti inflammatory amount of a pharmaceutical composition described herein wherein the inflammation is associated with injury or infection wherein the inflammation is associated with an allergy or asthma wherein the inflammation is associated with a disease state selected from rheumatoid arthritis scleroderma rheumatic fever inflammatory bowel disease diabetes mellitus myasthenia gravis multiple sclerosis guillan barre syndrome conjunctiva of the eye systemic lupus erythematosus encephalitis adult respiratory distress syndrome emphysema alzheimer 39 s disease and muscular dystrophy wherein the inflammation is associated with transplantation of bone marrow or a solid organ selected from kidney lung heart pancreas liver and skin and the composition is administered before during or after transplantation wherein the pharmaceutical.