Specificity and biological role of cathepsin D

The purity of cathepsin D has been increased from 150 units/mg to over 200 units/mg. Peptides such as Ala-Phe-NH2, His-Phe-NH2 and Phe-Phe were split by impure enzyme and activity was blocked by pepstatin and diazoacetylnorleucine methyl ester. Pure preparations no longer digested these peptides. This points to the presence of a second peptidase activity similar to cathepsin D in specificity and inhibition properties, but distinct from it . Cathepsin D splits the peptides Leu-Phe-NH2, Leu-Tyr-NH2, Ac-Phe-TyrI2, and Ala-Leu-Tyr-Leu upon overnight incubation. More rapid splitting is found with phenyl sulfite, Glu-Ala-Leu-Tyr-Leu-Val, and Bz-Arg-Gly-Phe-Phe-Leu-4-methoxy-beta-naphthylamide. Digestion of bovine hemoglobin and human serum albumin by ruptured rat liver tritosomes was studied over the pH range 2.5-6.5. The combined action of cathepsin D and thiol proteinases accounted for most of the digestion. Cathepsin D accounted for 75% of the hemoglobin digestion at pH 3 and 45% at pH 5. Thiol proteinase accounted for 85% of the albumin digestion at pH 5. The role of cathepsin D in the development of embryonic limbs and skin, in uterine involution, and in cartilage degradation was reviewed. The activity of cathepsin D on cartilage matrix proteoglycans is limited to acid pH values. Human articular cartilage also contains metalloproteases active at pH 4.5 and 5.7.