title: Furin/PACE/SPC1: a convertase involved in exocytic and endocytic processing of precursor proteins.
abstract: One of the most exciting breakthroughs of the 90's in the fields of biochemistry, cell biology and neuroendocrinology is the identification of a novel family of proteolytic enzymes called mammalian subtilisin-like convertases. This family is comprised so far of seven distinct endoproteases responsible for the proteolytic excision of biologically active polypeptides from inactive precursor proteins. Six years after the initial observation of a structural conservation between a characterized yeast enzyme (kexin) and a human gene product (furin), it is now well accepted that one of these convertases, furin, has the enzymatic capabilities to efficiently and correctly process a great variety of precursors. Furin's ability to cleave precursors within both the exocytic and endocytic pathways will require sustained efforts in order to delineate all of its physiological roles.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Université de Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Denault
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leduc
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D004705:Endocytosis; D005089:Exocytosis; D045683:Furin; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D011498:Protein Precursors / Q000378:metabolism*; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D013381:Subtilisins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011498:Protein Precursors; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; C095409:sty1 protein, S pombe; D043484:Proprotein Convertases; D013381:Subtilisins; C058751:KEX2 protein, S cerevisiae; C468731:FURIN protein, human; D045683:Furin