title: The mitochondrial serine protease HtrA2/Omi: an overview.
abstract: The HtrA family refers to a group of related oligomeric serine proteases that combine a trypsin-like protease domain with at least one PDZ interaction domain. Mammals encode four HtrA proteases, named HtrA1-4. The protease activity of the HtrA member HtrA2/Omi is required for mitochondrial homeostasis in mice and humans and inactivating mutations associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Moreover, HtrA2/Omi is released in the cytosol, where it contributes to apoptosis through both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways. Here, we review the current knowledge of HtrA2/Omi biology and discuss the signaling pathways that underlie its mitochondrial and apoptotic functions from an evolutionary perspective.
authors.affiliation: Department for Molecular Biomedical Research, Unit for Molecular Signalling and Cell Death, VIB, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vande Walle
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lamkanfi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vandenabeele
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D000074923:High-Temperature Requirement A Serine Peptidase 2; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C000615914:HTRA2 protein, human; D000074923:High-Temperature Requirement A Serine Peptidase 2; C000615915:Htra2 protein, mouse