Abstract
Leukocyte elastase has caused more and more interest in1recent years because of its involvement in pulmonary emphysema. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes contain high amounts of another neutral proteinase, cathepsin G whose pathological role has not yet been elucidated. This enzyme might participate in the degradation of lung tissue components other than elastin2. We wish to report in this paper that, despite of its very low elastolytic activi3,4, cathepsin G plays an important role in elastolysis since it strongly stimulates the elastase-catalyzed solubilization of lung elastin. We also demonstrate that this stimulating property is related to the chymotrypsin-like character of cathepsin G since other chymotrypsin-like enzymes such as bovine α-chymotrypsin or human pancreatic elastase are also able to enhance the activity of leukocyte elastase.
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© 1984 Plenum Press, New York
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Boudier, C., Laurent, P., Bieth, J.G. (1984). Leukoproteinases and Pulmonary Emphysema: Cathepsin G and other Chymotrypsin-Like Proteinases Enhance the Elastolytic Activity of Elastase on Lung Elastin. In: Hörl, W.H., Heidland, A. (eds) Proteases. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 167. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9355-3_26
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-9355-3_26
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