title: Role of cysteine cathepsins in matrix degradation and cell signalling.
abstract: Cysteine cathepsins participate in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and remodelling and thus influence important cellular processes such as cell transformation and differentiation, motility, adhesion, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. Also, cathepsins are involved in cell signalling and are capable of activating specific cell receptors and growth factors or liberating them from the ECM. In this review we emphasize recent studies on cathepsins in regard to ECM degradation and cell signalling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ljubljana, Slovenia. natasa.obermajer@ffa.uni-lj.si
authors.forename: Natasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Obermajer
authors.forename: Zala
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jevnikar
authors.forename: Bojan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Doljak
authors.forename: Janko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002465:Cell Movement; D003545:Cysteine; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D002403:Cathepsins; D003545:Cysteine