Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.23.5 (cathepsin D)
 4,130 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Proteolytic degradation (processing) of antigen by antigen-presenting cells is a major regulatory step in the activation of a T lymphocyte immune response. However, the enzymes responsible for antigen processing remain largely undefined. In this study we show that cathepsin E, and not the ubiquitous lysosomal cathepsin D, is the major aspartic proteinase in a murine antigen-presenting cell line, A20. This enzyme is localized to a non-lysosomal compartment of the endosomal system in these cells. Functional studies using a highly specific inhibitor of cathepsin E show that this enzyme is essential for the processing of ovalbumin by this cell line. Thus, cathepsin E, whose function was hitherto unknown, may play a major role in antigen processing.
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PMID:Antigen processing for presentation by class II major histocompatibility complex requires cleavage by cathepsin E. 160 Oct 38

The biochemical mechanisms and enzymes involved in the processing of protein antigens for presentation by major histocompatibility complex class II molecules are poorly understood. This work describes the purification of a cathepsin D-like enzyme isolated from the murine B lymphoma cell line A20, a model antigen presenting cell. Two forms of cathepsin D-like enzyme were detected. One is soluble and located in the lysosome-enriched subcellular fraction. The other is membrane-associated and located in the endosome-enriched fraction. The membrane-associated form was purified to apparent homogeneity by affinity chromatography on pepstatin A-Sepharose. Its apparent molecular weight is 48,000, and its pH optimum is pH 4.0. Endosomal cathepsins are known to be involved in antigen processing in vivo, and the purified membrane-associated cathepsin D-like enzyme from A20 cells was used to study antigen processing in vitro. The enzyme cleaved a model protein antigen, Staphylococcus aureus nuclease (Nase) and thereby generated antigenic fragments recognized by a Nase-specific T cell hybridoma. Such studies have allowed us to begin to understand the role of protease specificity and T cell determinant selection.
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PMID:Isolation of a membrane-associated cathepsin D-like enzyme from the model antigen presenting cell, A20, and its ability to generate antigenic fragments from a protein antigen in a cell-free system. 810 81