title: Unique neuronal functions of cathepsin L and cathepsin B in secretory vesicles: biosynthesis of peptides in neurotransmission and neurodegenerative disease.
abstract: Proteases are required for the production of peptide neurotransmitters and toxic peptides in neurodegenerative diseases. Unique roles of the cysteine proteases cathepsin L and cathepsin B in secretory vesicles for the production of biologically active peptides have been demonstrated in recent studies. Secretory vesicle cathepsin L participates in the proteolytic conversion of proenkephalin into the active enkephalin, an opioid peptide neurotransmitter that mediates pain relief. Moreover, recent findings provide evidence that cathepsin B in regulated secretory vesicles participates in the production of toxic beta-amyloid peptides that are known to accumulate extracellularly in Alzheimer's disease brains. The neurobiological functions of cathepsins L and B demonstrate that these secretory vesicle cysteine proteases produce biologically active peptides. These results demonstrate newly identified roles for cathepsins L and B in neurosecretory vesicles in the production of biologically active peptides.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, 92093-0744, USA. vhook@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: Vivian Y H
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Hook
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000378:metabolism*; D056668:Cathepsin L; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D022142:Secretory Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D002403:Cathepsins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D002401:Cathepsin B; C534281:CTSL protein, human; D056668:Cathepsin L