| First Author | Tulone C | Year | 2007 |
| Journal | Immunogenetics | Volume | 59 |
| Issue | 12 | Pages | 927-35 |
| PubMed ID | 18000662 | Mgi Jnum | J:128538 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3767390 | Doi | 10.1007/s00251-007-0256-0 |
| Citation | Tulone C, et al. (2007) Natural cathepsin E deficiency in the immune system of C57BL/6J mice. Immunogenetics 59(12):927-35 |
| abstractText | Cathepsin E is an aspartic endosomal proteinase, expressed at high levels in some epithelial and haemopoetic cells. The enzyme has been implicated in a variety of functions, including antigen processing. This study documents strain-specific variation in expression of cathepsin E in mice. The levels of cathepsin E protein and message are profoundly decreased in haemopoetic cells from C57BL/6J mice, compared to levels in 129S2/Sv or Balb/c. The deficiency is cell-type-specific, as protein levels in gut are not affected. Deficiency affects B cell, T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. The low cathepsin E phenotype cosegregates with the C57BL/6J genotype in a panel of C57BL/6J x 129S2/Sv F2 mice. Analysis of the promoter region of cathepsin E reveals a polymorphism which destroys a previously described functional PU.1 transcription binding consensus sequence in the C57BL/6J genome. Antigen processing of ovalbumin by dendritic cells, which has previously been shown to require cathepsin E, is impaired in C57BL/6J-derived dendritic cells. C57BL/6J mice thus exhibit a profound tissue-specific deficiency in cathepsin E expression, which may have important implications for the immune phenotype of this mouse strain. |
