The Importance of Cathepsin B Research and Clinical Applications

Cathepsin B is a cysteine protease of the papain family. It plays an important role in intracellular proteolysis, but it displays exopeptidase activity due to a unique structural element called the occluding loop. There is also a large amount of evidence that cathepsin B is involved in the development and progression of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and pathological conditions. Throughout this thesis cathepsin B is analyzed for its role in pathology, enzyme mechanisms, and protease activity.