Cysteine cathepsins are normally found in the lysosomes where they are involved in intracellular protein turnover. Their ability to degrade the components of the extracellular matrix in vitro was ...first reported more than 25years ago. However, cathepsins were for a long time not considered to be among the major players in ECM degradation in vivo. During the last decade it has, however, become evident that abundant secretion of cysteine cathepsins into extracellular milieu is accompanying numerous physiological and disease conditions, enabling the cathepsins to degrade extracellular proteins.
In this review we will focus on cysteine cathepsins and their extracellular functions linked with ECM degradation, including regulation of their activity, which is often enhanced by acidification of the extracellular microenvironment, such as found in the bone resorption lacunae or tumor microenvironment. We will further discuss the ECM substrates of cathepsins with a focus on collagen and elastin, including the importance of that for pathologies. Finally, we will overview the current status of cathepsin inhibitors in clinical development for treatment of ECM-linked diseases, in particular osteoporosis.
Cysteine cathepsins are among the major proteases involved in ECM remodeling, and their role is not limited to degradation only. Deregulation of their activity is linked with numerous ECM-linked diseases and they are now validated targets in a number of them. Cathepsins S and K are the most attractive targets, especially cathepsin K as a major therapeutic target for osteoporosis with drugs targeting it in advanced clinical trials.
Due to their major role in ECM remodeling cysteine cathepsins have emerged as an important group of therapeutic targets for a number of ECM-related diseases, including, osteoporosis, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Matrix-mediated cell behaviour and properties.
•Cysteine cathepsins are major proteases involved in ECM remodeling.•The role of cysteine cathepsins in ECM remodeling is not limited to degradation only.•Deregulation of cathepsin activity is linked with numerous ECM-linked diseases.•Cathepsin K is a major therapeutic target for osteoporosis.
Protease-activated receptor-2 is widely expressed in mammalian epithelial, immune and neural tissues. Cleavage of PAR2 by serine proteases leads to self-activation of the receptor by the tethered ...ligand SLIGRL. The contribution of other classes of proteases to PAR activation has not been studied in detail. Cathepsin S is a widely expressed cysteine protease that is upregulated in inflammatory conditions. It has been suggested that cathepsin S activates PAR2. However, cathepsin S activation of PAR2 has not been demonstrated directly nor has the potential mechanism of activation been identified. We show that cathepsin S cleaves near the N-terminus of PAR2 to expose a novel tethered ligand, KVDGTS. The hexapeptide KVDGTS generates downstream signaling events specific to PAR2 but is weaker than SLIGRL. Mutation of the cathepsin S cleavage site prevents receptor activation by the protease while KVDGTS retains activity. In conclusion, the range of actions previously ascribed to cysteine cathepsins in general, and cathepsin S in particular, should be expanded to include molecular signaling. Such signaling may link together observations that had been attributed previously to PAR2 or cathepsin S individually. These interactions may contribute to inflammation.
Cruzain, a cysteine protease of Trypanosoma cruzi, is a validated target for the treatment of Chagas disease. Due to its high similarity in three-dimensional structure with human cathepsins and their ...sequence identity above 70% in the active site regions, identifying potent but selective cruzain inhibitors with low side effects on the host organism represents a significant challenge. Here a panel of nitrile ligands with varying potencies against cathepsin K, cathepsin L and cruzain, are studied by molecular dynamics simulations as both non-covalent and covalent complexes. Principal component analysis (PCA), identifies and quantifies patterns of ligand-induced conformational selection that enable the construction of a decision tree which can predict with high confidence a low-nanomolar inhibitor of each of three proteins, and determine the selectivity for one against others.
The cysteine protease cathepsin S (CatS) is overexpressed in many tumors. It is known to be involved in tumor progression as well as antigen processing in antigen‐presenting cells (APC). Recent ...evidence suggests that silencing CatS improves the anti‐tumor immune response in several cancers. Therefore, CatS is an interesting target to modulate the immune response in these diseases. Here, we present a series of covalent‐reversible CatS inhibitors based on the α‐fluorovinylsulfone and ‐sulfonate warheads. We optimized two lead structures by molecular docking approaches, resulting in 22 final compounds which were evaluated in fluorometric enzyme assays for CatS inhibition and for selectivity towards the off‐targets CatB and CatL. The most potent inhibitor in the series has subnanomolar affinity (Ki=0.08 nM) and more than 100,000‐fold selectivity towards cathepsins B and L. These new reversible and non‐cytotoxic inhibitors could serve as interesting leads to develop new immunomodulators in cancer therapy.
Herein we present a series of covalent‐reversible CatS inhibitors based on the α‐fluorovinylsulfone and ‐sulfonate warhead, which were optimized by molecular docking and evaluated for selectivity towards off‐targets CatB and CatL. The most potent inhibitor, 6 c, has subnanomolar affinity and selectivity towards cathepsins B and L, making it a promising lead for developing new immunomodulators in cancer therapy.
Cysteine cathepsins (CTS), being involved in both physiological and pathological processes, play an important role in the human body. During the last 30 years, it has been shown that CTS are highly ...upregulated in a wide variety of cancer types although they have received a little attention as a potential therapeutic target as compared to serine or metalloproteinases. Studies on the increasing problem of neoplastic progression have revealed that secretion of cell-surface- and intracellular cysteine proteases is aberrant in tumor cells and has an impact on their growth, invasion, and metastasis by taking part in tumor angiogenesis, in apoptosis, and in events of inflammatory and immune responses. Considering the role of CTS in carcinogenesis, inhibition of these enzymes becomes an attractive strategy for cancer therapy. The downregulation of natural CTS inhibitors (CTSsis), such as cystatins, observed in various types of cancer, supports this claim. The intention of this review is to highlight the relationship of CTS with cancer and to present illustrations that explain how some of their inhibitors affect processes related to neoplastic progression.
Cysteine cathepsins (CTS) are involved in tumor development and metastasis. Hence, cysteine cathepsin inhibitors are considered to constitute promising therapeutics in cancer treatment. Display omitted
•Cysteine cathepsins (CTS) are highly upregulated in various types of cancer.•Inhibition of CTS becomes an attractive strategy for cancer therapy.•Cystatins, endogenous CTS inhibitors, may control tumor progression.•Exogenous inhibitors of cysteine cathepsins are a lead for new anticancer drugs.
The Future of Cysteine Cathepsins in Disease Management Kramer, Lovro; Turk, Dušan; Turk, Boris
Trends in pharmacological sciences (Regular ed.),
October 2017, 2017-10-00, 20171001, Letnik:
38, Številka:
10
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Since the discovery of the key role of cathepsin K in bone resorption, cysteine cathepsins have been investigated by pharmaceutical companies as drug targets. The first clinical results from ...targeting cathepsins by activity-based probes and substrates are paving the way for the next generation of molecular diagnostic imaging, whereas the majority of antibody–drug conjugates currently in clinical trials depend on activation by cathepsins. Finally, cathepsins have emerged as suitable vehicles for targeted drug delivery. It is therefore timely to review the future of cathepsins in drug discovery. We focus here on inflammation-associated diseases because dysregulation of the immune system accompanied by elevated cathepsin activity is a common feature of these conditions.
The newly discovered roles of secreted cysteine cathepsins are dominating preclinical research, with major developments in pain regulation and cancer chemotherapy resistance.
Cathepsin K inhibitors, including odanacatib, have all failed in osteoporosis clinical trials, but novel strategies to target cathepsin K are emerging.
The antibody–drug conjugate field is dominated by cathepsin-cleavable linkers.
First cathepsin-targeting imaging probes have entered clinical trials with favorable initial results.
A new concept for targeted drug delivery based on cathepsin-targeting is emerging.
Cysteine cathepsin proteases play critical roles in cardiovascular disease progression and are implicated in extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation. Patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension ...(PAH) exhibit increased elastase production by pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), which is related to the degradation of elastic fibers and pulmonary vascular remodeling. However, the mechanism by which cathepsins regulate the ECM and PASMC proliferation in PAH remains unclear. We hypothesized that cathepsin proteases in PASMCs promote the development of PAH. Here, we show overexpression of cathepsin S (Cat S) and degradation of elastic laminae in the lungs of patients with idiopathic PAH and in the PASMCs of monocrotaline-induced PAH model (MCT-PAH) rats. In addition, pulmonary hypertension can be treated in MCT-PAH rats by administering a selective Cat S inhibitor, Millipore-219393, which stimulates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) to inhibit the expression of Cat S, thus suppressing the proliferation and migration of MCT-PAH PASMCs. We then reduced Cat S or PPARγ expression by using small interfering RNA in human PASMCs to demonstrate a mechanistic link between Cat S signaling and PPARγ protein, and the results suggest that PPARγ is upstream of Cat S signaling. In conclusion, the activity of Cat S in pulmonary vascular remodeling and degradation of elastin fibers through the disruption of PPARγ is pathophysiologically significant in PAH.
Ebola virus (EboV) causes rapidly fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and there is currently no effective treatment. We found that the infection of African green monkey kidney (Vero) cells by vesicular ...stomatitis viruses bearing the EboV glycoprotein (GP) requires the activity of endosomal cysteine proteases. Using selective protease inhibitors and protease-deficient cell lines, we identified an essential role for cathepsin B (CatB) and an accessory role for cathepsin L (CatL) in EboV GP-dependent entry. Biochemical studies demonstrate that CatB and CatL mediate entry by carrying out proteolysis of the EboV GP subunit GP1 and support a multistep mechanism that explains the relative contributions of these enzymes to infection. CatB and CatB/CatL inhibitors diminish the multiplication of infectious EboV-Zaire in cultured cells and may merit investigation as anti-EboV drugs.
The multifaceted role of cathepsins in liver disease Ruiz-Blázquez, Paloma; Pistorio, Valeria; Fernández-Fernández, María ...
Journal of hepatology,
November 2021, 2021-11-00, 20211101, Letnik:
75, Številka:
5
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Proteases are the most abundant enzyme gene family in vertebrates and they execute essential functions in all living organisms. Their main role is to hydrolase the peptide bond within proteins, a ...process also called proteolysis. Contrary to the conventional paradigm, proteases are not only random catalytic devices, but can perform highly selective and targeted cleavage of specific substrates, finely modulating multiple essential cellular processes. Lysosomal protease cathepsins comprise 3 families of proteases that preferentially act within acidic cellular compartments, but they can also be found in other cellular locations. They can operate alone or as part of signalling cascades and regulatory circuits, playing important roles in apoptosis, extracellular matrix remodelling, hepatic stellate cell activation, autophagy and metastasis, contributing to the initiation, development and progression of liver disease. In this review, we comprehensively summarise current knowledge on the role of lysosomal cathepsins in liver disease, with a particular emphasis on liver fibrosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma.
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