Lymphopain, a cytotoxic T and natural killer cell-associated cysteine proteinase.
Through differential screening of established human leukaemia cell lines, we have identified and molecularly cloned lymphopain, a novel cysteine proteinase of the papain family. Lymphopain exhibits a remarkably restricted cellular pattern of expression, being predominantly expressed in cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells. The human lymphopain locus maps to chromosome 11q13, encodes a polypeptide of 376 amino acids and is conserved in the mouse. Both human and murine forms appear more closely related to protozoan papain-like enzymes than to other mammalian members of the papain family. The cellular distribution of lymphopain expression, together with the functional demonstration of lymphopain-associated proteinase activity in vitro, is suggestive of a role for lymphopain in immune cell-mediated, cell killing.
Brown
J
J
Leukaemia Research Fund Centre at the Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, London, UK.
Matutes
E
E
Singleton
A
A
Price
C
C
Molgaard
H
H
Buttle
D
D
Enver
T
T
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D056664:Cathepsin W; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000201:enzymology*; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000201:enzymology*
D018076:DNA, Complementary; C534187:CTSW protein, human; D056664:Cathepsin W; C534188:Ctsw protein, mouse; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases