Dipeptidyl-peptidase 2 is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecule ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''DPP7''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "... Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. The protein encoded by this gene is a post-proline cleaving

aminopeptidase Aminopeptidases are enzymes that catalyze the cleavage of amino acids from the amino terminus (N-terminus) of proteins or peptides (exopeptidases). They are widely distributed throughout the animal and plant kingdoms and are found in many subcel ...

expressed in quiescent lymphocytes. The resting lymphocytes are maintained through suppression of apoptosis, a state which is disrupted by inhibition of this novel

serine protease Serine proteases (or serine endopeptidases) are enzymes that cleave peptide bonds in proteins. Serine serves as the nucleophilic amino acid at the (enzyme's) active site. They are found ubiquitously in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. S ...

. The enzyme has strong

sequence homology Sequence homology is the biological homology between DNA, RNA, or protein sequences, defined in terms of shared ancestry in the evolutionary history of life. Two segments of DNA can have shared ancestry because of three phenomena: either a sp ...

with

prolyl carboxypeptidase Lysosomal Pro-Xaa carboxypeptidase (, ''angiotensinase C'', ''lysosomal carboxypeptidase C'', ''peptidylprolylamino acid carboxypeptidase'', ''aminoacylproline carboxypeptidase'', ''prolyl carboxypeptidase'', ''carboxypeptidase P'', ''proline-speci ...

and is active at both acidic and neutral pH.

References

Further reading