Dipeptidyl peptidase 8 and 9--guilty by association?

Dipeptidyl peptidases (DP) 8 and 9 are members of the DPIV enzyme family. Other members include DPIV, fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and the non-enzymes DP6 and DP10. DPIV family members have diverse biological roles, and have been implicated in a range of diseases including diabetes, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), arthritis and asthma. While DP8/9 biological functions are yet to be established, they have been predicted to have similar roles to the other DPs due to high sequence similarities within the active site of the enzymes. While there is mounting evidence towards the involvement of DP8 and/or DP9 in innate and acquired immunity, direct proof for the link between DP8 and DP9 and human disease is yet to be definitively shown, thus DP8 and 9 proteins remain guilty by association.