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Review
. 2017 Jun 20;8(25):41690-41700.
doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.16677.

Cathepsins in digestive cancers

Siyuan Chen  1 , Hui Dong  1 , Shiming Yang  1 , Hong Guo  1
Affiliations
Review

Cathepsins in digestive cancers

Siyuan Chen et al. Oncotarget. .

Abstract

Cathepsins are lysosomal peptidases belonging to the papain family, and based on their catalytic sites, these enzymes can be divided into serine, cysteine and aspartic proteases. The studies conducted to date have identified, 15 types of cathepsins that are widely distributed in intracellular and extracellular spaces. These proteases participate in various pathological activities, including the occurrence and development of human cancers. Several recent studies suggest that cathepsins, particularly cathepsins B, D, E and L, contribute to digestive tumorigenesis. Cathepsins were found to promote the development of most digestive cancers except liver cancer, in which they might have the opposite effects. Due to their important roles in digestive tumors, cathepsins might be therapeutic targets for the treatment of digestive cancers.

Keywords: cathepsin; digestive cancer; invasion; migration; proliferation.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

We have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Cathepsin synthesis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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