Taking into account a previous report of an unidentified enzyme from macrophages acting as a kininase, the ability of cysteine proteases to degrade kinins has been investigated. Wild-type fibroblast lysates from mice, by contrast with cathepsin K-deficient lysates, hydrolysed BK (bradykinin), and released two metabolites, BK-(1-4) and BK-(5-9). Cathepsin K, but not cathepsins B, H, L and S, cle...

Adult Schistosoma mansoni parasites synthesize and secrete both cathepsin L and cathepsin B cysteine proteinases. These cysteine proteinase activities, believed to be involved in hemoglobin digestion by adult schistosomes, were characterized by using specific fluorogenic peptide substrates and zymography. Both cathepsin L- and B-like activities with pH optima of 5.2 and 6.2, respectively, predo...

Cystatin C, cathepsin S, and IL-1 are three important biomarkers of atherosclerosis. Previous studies emphasized the relationship between individual biomarkers in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients and severity of atherosclerostic lesions of the coronary arteries, while combined cystatin C, cathepsin S, and IL-1 have not been reported for clinical classification of CAD. We aimed to establis...

This article has not been copyedited and formatted. The final version may differ from this version. Abstract Cathepsin K is a lysosomal cysteine protease that is a pharmacological target for the treatment of osteoporosis. Previous studies showed that basic, lipophilic cathepsin K inhibitors are lysosomotropic and have greater activities in cell-based assays against cathepsin K, as well as the p...

Cathepsins K, L, S, and V are cysteine proteases that have been implicated in tissue-destructive diseases such as atherosclerosis, tumor metastasis, and osteoporosis. Among these four cathepsins are the most powerful human collagenases and elastases, and they share 60% sequence homology. Proper quantification of mature, active cathepsins has been confounded by inhibitor and reporter substrate c...

Random high throughput sequencing of a human osteoclast cDNA library was employed to identify novel osteoclast-expressed genes. Of the 5475 ESTs obtained, approximately 4% encoded cathepsin K, a novel cysteine protease homologous to cathepsins S and L; ESTs for other cathepsins were rare. In addition, ESTs for cathepsin K were absent or at low frequency in cDNA libraries from numerous other tis...

Human cathepsin L along with cathepsin S, K, and V are collectively known as cathepsin L-like proteases due to their high homology. The overexpression and aberrant activity of each of these proteases has been implicated in tumorigenesis. These proteases contain propeptide domains that can potently inhibit both their cognate protease and other proteases within the cathepsin L-like subfamily. In ...

Endosomal and lysosomal fractions of human monocytes/macrophages prepared from buffy coats were analyzed for activities of cathepsins B, L and S, and expression of cathepsin proteins along with major histocompatibility complex class I and class II molecules under control and immunomodulatory conditions. While the total activity of cathepsins B, L, and S together remained unchanged in lysates of...

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II-associated invariant chain (Ii) regulates intracellular trafficking and peptide loading of MHC class II molecules. Such loading occurs after endosomal degradation of the invariant chain to a approximately 3-kD peptide termed CLIP (class II-associated invariant chain peptide). Cathepsins L and S have both been implicated in degradation of Ii to...