Cathepsin D

Cathepsin D is a lysosomal aspartic protease of the pepsin family. Human Cathepsin D is synthesized as a precursor protein, consisting of a signal peptide (residues 1 18), a propeptide (residues 19 64), and a mature chain (residues 65 412). The mature chain can be processed further to the light (residues 65 161) and heavy (residues 169 412) chains. It is a major enzyme in protein degradation in lysosomes, and also involved in the presentation of antigenic peptides.

Numerous clinical studies as well as in vitro evidence suggest that cathepsin D plays an important role in malignant transformation and may be a useful prognostic indicator for breast cancer and possibly Alzheimer's disease

Cathepsin-D: Customer Data and Publications

Image: Cathepsin-D staining in Rat Cortex. Courtesy of Dr. Inga Kadish, University of Alabama-Birmingham