Deficiency for the cysteine protease cathepsin L promotes tumor progression in mouse epidermis
21.12.2009
Dennemärker J, Lohmüller T, Mayerle J, Tacke M, Lerch MM, Coussens LM, Peters C, Reinheckel T.
Oncogene 29(11):1611-21
Cathepsin L has long been considered a tumor-promoting protease. We modulated cathepsin L expression in keratinocytes of skin cancer pron K14-HPV16 mice and found that this endolysosomal cysteine protease is in contrast to expectations a keratinocyte-specific tumor suppressor. Cathepsin L is critical for the termination of growth factor signaling in the endosomal/ lysosomal compartment of keratinocytes and, therefore, functions as an anti-tumor protease in epidermal squamous cell carcinomas.
