Cathepsin W is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''CTSW''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
.
The protein encoded by this gene, a member of the peptidase C1 family of
cysteine cathepsins, is a
cysteine protease cathepsin that may have a specific function in the mechanism or regulation of
T-cell cytolytic activity. The encoded protein is found associated with the
cell membrane
The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extr ...
inside the
endoplasmic reticulum
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a part of a transportation system of the eukaryote, eukaryotic cell, and has many other important functions such as protein folding. The word endoplasmic means "within the cytoplasm", and reticulum is Latin for ...
of
natural killer and
cytotoxic T-cells. Expression of this gene is up-regulated by
interleukin-2.
References
Further reading
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External links
* The
MEROPS online database for peptidases and their inhibitors
C01.037
Proteases
EC 3.4.22
Cathepsins
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