title: Lysosomal cysteine proteases: more than scavengers.
abstract: Lysosomal cysteine proteases were believed to be mainly involved in intracellular protein degradation. Under special conditions they have been found outside lysosomes resulting in pathological conditions. With the discovery of a series of new cathepsins with restricted tissue distributions, it has become evident that these enzymes must be involved in a range of specific cellular tasks much broader than as simple housekeeping enzymes. It is therefore timely to review and discuss the various physiological roles of mammalian lysosomal papain-like cysteine proteases as well as their mechanisms of action and the regulation of their activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, J. Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia. boris.turk@ijs.si
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turk
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Turk
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001665:Binding Sites; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008247:Lysosomes / Q000201:enzymology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology; D010434:Pepsin A / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017510:Protein Folding; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D002403:Cathepsins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D010434:Pepsin A