title: Murine and human cathepsin Z: cDNA-cloning, characterization of the genes and chromosomal localization.
abstract: A novel murine cysteine protease from the family of papain-like cysteine proteinases was identified by dbEST-database search. A 1. 4-kb full-length cDNA encoding a predicted polypeptide of 306 amino acids was characterized. The new protease, tentatively named cathepsin Z, exhibits all features characteristics of a papain-like cysteine protease, including the highly conserved residues of the 'catalytic triad'. Cathepsin Z shares only 26-35% overall homology with previously described mammalian papain-like cysteine peptidases and has an unusually short propeptide, which may indicate that it is a member of a putative new subfamily within the family of papain-like cysteine peptidases. Genomic clones covering the murine and human cathepsin Z genes were isolated. They comprise six exons and five introns spanning a 12-kb region of genomic DNA, respectively. Murine cathepsin Z was mapped to chromosome 2, a region with synteny homology to a region of human chromosome 20 to which human cathepsin Z has been mapped previously. Northern blot analysis revealed ubiquitous expression of murine cathepsin Z. Multiple transcriptional start sites were identified for the murine cathepsin Z gene and together with the absence of a TATA box, a high G+C content, a CpG island and the presence of several Sp1-binding sites in the promoter region, murine cathepsin Z may be classified as a 'housekeeping' gene.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Molekulare Medizin und Zellforschung, Klinikum der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Hugstetter Strasse 55, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deussing
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: von Olshausen
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D056657:Cathepsin K; D056663:Cathepsin Z; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D018390:Gene Targeting; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011544:Pseudogenes; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017385:Sequence Homology
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012269:Ribosomal Proteins; C035201:ribosomal protein L30; D002403:Cathepsins; C534182:CTSZ protein, human; D056663:Cathepsin Z; C534184:Ctsz protein, mouse; C534130:CTSK protein, human; D056657:Cathepsin K; C534132:Ctsk protein, mouse