title: Importance of research on peptidylarginine deiminase and citrullinated proteins in age-related disease.
abstract: Peptidylarginine deiminases (PAD) are a group of post-translational modification enzymes that citrullinate (deiminate) protein arginine residues in a calcium ion-dependent manner. Enzymatic citrullination abolishes positive charges of native protein molecules, inevitably causing significant alterations in their structure and functions. Citrullinated protein has an important physiological purpose; the formation of a cornified layer of skin that covers the human body. Despite this beneficial function, citrullinated protein also has a negative side, because this protein's accumulation in the brain is a possible cause of Alzheimer's disease. In the present review, we introduce PAD and their protein citrullination function, now considered critical for advancing research on aging and disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Funabashi, Chiba, Japan. ishigami@phar.toho-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Akihito
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ishigami
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maruyama
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002956:Citrulline / Q000378:metabolism; D004817:Epidermis / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D006867:Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015603:Keratinocytes / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000378:metabolism; D000076342:Protein-Arginine Deiminases
chemical_list: D002956:Citrulline; D006867:Hydrolases; D000076342:Protein-Arginine Deiminases