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)

Our understanding of how an autoantigen is processed and presented during the development of a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-dependent and T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease, such as IDDM, is incompletely understood. We have used insulin as a model autoantigen in IDDM to address the question of whether MHC class II molecules play a role in the generation and/or preservation of an autoantigen peptide that stimulates T-cell activation. Analyses of the requirement of I-Ad class II molecules in the processing of the partially processed porcine insulin peptide A1-A14/B1-B16 demonstrate that the binding of this peptide to I-Ad is essential for it to be further processed and tailored into a T-cell epitope. Based on our observations, we propose a two-step model for insulin processing in which insulin is first processed by an enzyme(s) into an intermediate peptide that binds to class II and then class II functions as a template to guide the processing of this partially processed peptide by cathepsin D into a T-cell epitope. Our data further underscore the important realization that MHC class II-directed processing of an autoantigen (e.g., insulin) may regulate 1) the relative immunodominance of T-cell determinants in an autoantigen, 2) the self-reactivity to cryptic T-cell epitopes in autoantigens, and 3) the susceptibility to autoimmune disease.
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PMID:Major histocompatibility complex class II molecules function as a template for the processing of a partially processed insulin peptide into a T-cell epitope. 892 56

Human plasma fibronectin (pFN) contains a cryptic metalloprotease present in the collagen-binding domain. The enzyme could be generated and activated in the presence of Ca2+ from the purified 70-kDa pFN fragment produced by cathepsin D digestion. In this work we cloned and expressed the metalloprotease, designated FN type IV collagenase (FnColA), and a truncated variant (FnColB) in E. coli. The recombinant pFN protein fragment was isolated from inclusion bodies, and subjected to folding and autocatalytic degradation in the presence of Ca2+, and yielded an active enzyme capable of digesting gelatin, helical type II and type IV collagen, alpha- and beta-casein, insulin b-chain, and a synthetic Mca-peptide. In contrast, isolated plasma fibronectin, type I collagen, and the DNP-peptide were no substrates. Both catalytically active recombinant pFN fragments were efficiently inhibited by EDTA, and batimastat, and, in contrast to the glycosylated enzyme isolated from plasma fibronectin, were also inhibited by TIMP-2.
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PMID:The proteolytic activity of the recombinant cryptic human fibronectin type IV collagenase from E. coli expression. 1130 53

The N-terminal heparin/fibrin binding domain of human plasma fibronectin (pFN) contains a cryptic proteinase. The enzyme could be generated and activated in the presence of Ca2+ from the purified 70 kDa pFN fragment produced by cathepsin D digestion of pFN. In this work we cloned and expressed the serine proteinase, designated fibronectinase (Fnase), in E. coli. The recombinant pFN protein fragment was isolated from inclusion bodies, subjected to folding and autocatalytic degradation in the presence of Ca2+, and yielded an active enzyme capable of digesting fibronectin. Cleavage of pFN and the synthetic peptides Ac-I-E-G-K-pNA and Bz-I-E-G-R-pNA demonstrated identical specificity of the recombinant and the isolated fibronectinase. Further investigations of the substrate specificity revealed for the first time the muscle proteins actin and myosin as being substrates of fibronectinase. The enzyme can be inhibited by alpha1-proteinase inhibitor. In the context of induced cathepsin D release, e. g. from granulocytes under inflammatory conditions, these results indicate an increase in specific proteolytic potential against muscular proteins in dystrophic diseases by the release of cryptic fibronectinase.
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PMID:Recombinant cryptic human fibronectinase cleaves actin and myosin: substrate specificity and possible role in muscular dystrophy. 1184 84

The development of immune tolerance is dependent on the expression of self-peptides in the thymus and bone marrow during lymphocyte development. However, not all self-antigens are expressed in the thymus, particularly for proteins that become post-translationally modified during other biological processes in a cell. We have found that one such post-translational modification, the spontaneous conversion of an aspartic acid to isoaspartic acid (isoAsp), causes ignored self-antigens to become immunogenic. In order to determine the mechanism for this autoimmune response, pigeon cytochrome c peptide 88-104 (PCC p88-104) was synthesized with and without an isoaspartyl residue. Each form was digested with cathepsin D, an enzyme involved in antigen processing. The products of cathepsin digestion were dramatically different between the two forms of self-protein suggesting that cryptic self-peptides may be revealed to the immune system by natural modifications to self-proteins. This observation also held true if whole PCC protein contained isoaspartyl residues was digested with cathespsin D. Additionally, AND transgenic TCR T cells (recognizing PCC 88-104) proliferated to a greater extent in response to isoaspartyl PCC as compared to the normal form of PCC. These finding demonstrate the importance of post-translational modifications in shaping autoimmune responses in and the development of tolerance to self-proteins.
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PMID:Altered immunogenicity of isoaspartate containing proteins. 1745 12

Mucolipidosis type III gamma (MLIII, pseudo-Hurler polydystrophy) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder where the activity of the multimeric GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase is reduced and formation of the mannose 6-phosphate (M6P) recognition marker on lysosomal enzymes is impaired. In this disease, the targeting of lysosomal enzymes is affected resulting in their hypersecretion, and an intracellular deficiency of multiple hydrolases. We report the biochemical and molecular diagnosis of MLIII in three siblings, aged 17, 15, and 14 years, who presented with joint pain and progressive joint stiffness. In addition to missorting of newly synthesized lysosomal protease cathepsin D, there were low levels of M6P-containing proteins in cell extracts and media of cultured fibroblasts of the Patients. Direct sequencing identified a novel homozygous mutation in intron 7, IVS7-10G>A, of the GNPTG gene, which encodes the gamma-subunit of the GlcNAc-1-phosphotransferase. This mutation created a cryptic 3'-splice site resulting in a frameshift and premature translational termination (p.V176GfsX18). The GNPTG mRNA levels were markedly reduced in Patients' fibroblasts indicating that the intronic mutation mediates mRNA decay, which was confirmed by absence of the gamma-subunit protein. These data contribute to an efficient diagnostic strategy to identify Patients with MLIII gamma and characterize their biochemical defect in fibroblasts.
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PMID:Loss of N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphotransferase gamma subunit due to intronic mutation in GNPTG causes mucolipidosis type III gamma: Implications for molecular and cellular diagnostics. 2003 96

A shared neuropathological hallmark in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is nuclear clearance and cytoplasmic aggregation of TARDBP/TDP-43 (TAR DNA binding protein). We previously showed that the ability of TARDBP to repress nonconserved cryptic exons was impaired in brains of patients with ALS and FTD, suggesting that its nuclear depletion contributes to neurodegeneration. However, the critical pathways impacted by the failure to repress cryptic exons that may contribute to neurodegeneration remain undefined. Here, we report that transcriptome analysis of TARDBP-deficient neurons revealed downregulation of ATG7, a critical gene required for macroautophagy/autophagy. Mouse and Drosophila models lacking TARDBP/TBPH in motor neurons exhibiting age-dependent neurodegeneration and motor deficits showed reduction of ATG7 and accumulation of SQSTM1/p62 inclusions. Importantly, genetic upregulation of the autophagy pathway improved motor function and survival in TBPH-deficient flies. Together with our observation that ATG7 is reduced in ALS-FTD brain tissues, these findings identify the autophagy pathway as one key effector of nuclear depletion of TARDBP that contributes to neurodegeneration. We thus suggest that the autophagy pathway is a therapeutic target for ALS-FTD and other disorders exhibiting TARDBP pathology.Abbreviations: ALS: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; ANOVA: analysis of variance; ChAT: choline acetyltransferase; CTSD: cathepsin D; FTD: frontotemporal dementia; LAMP1: lysosomal associated membrane protein 1; NMJ: neuromuscular junction; RBFOX3/NeuN: RNA binding fox-1 homolog 3; SQSTM1: sequestosome 1; TARDBP/TDP-43: TAR DNA binding protein 43.
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PMID:Upregulation of ATG7 attenuates motor neuron dysfunction associated with depletion of TARDBP/TDP-43. 3124 80