IMR Press / FBE / Volume 1 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.2741/E23

Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.

Article
Enteropeptidase, a type II transmembrane serine protease
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1 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
2 Department of Internal Medicine, Sendai Shakai-Hoken Hospital, 3- 16-1 tsutsumi-machi, Aoba-ku Sendai 9818501, Japan
3 Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
Front. Biosci. (Elite Ed) 2009, 1(1), 242–249; https://doi.org/10.2741/E23
Published: 1 June 2009
Abstract

Enteropeptidase, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is localized to the brush border of the duodenal and jejunal mucosa. It is synthesized as a zymogen (proenteropeptidase) that requires activation by another protease, either trypsin or possibly duodenase. Active enteropeptidase then converts the pancreatic precursor, trypsinogen, to trypsin by cleavage of the specific trypsinogen activation peptide, Asp-Asp-Asp-Asp-Lys↓Ile that is highly conserved in vertebrates. Trypsin, in turn, activates other digestive zymogens such as chymotrypsinogen, proelastase, procarboxypeptidase and prolipase in the lumen of the gut. The important biological function of enteropeptidase is highlighted by the manifestation of severe diarrhea, failure to thrive, hypoproteinemia and edema as a result of congenital deficiency of enteropeptidase activity in the gut. Conversely, duodenopancreatic reflux of proteolytically active enteropeptidase may cause acute and chronic pancreatitis.

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