Lysosomal Pro-X carboxypeptidase is an

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products ...

that in humans is encoded by the ''PRCP''

gene In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a b ...

. The protein encoded by this gene is a

lysosomal prolylcarboxypeptidase Lysosomal Pro-Xaa carboxypeptidase (, ''angiotensinase C'', ''lysosomal carboxypeptidase C'', ''peptidylprolylamino acid carboxypeptidase'', ''aminoacylproline carboxypeptidase'', ''prolyl carboxypeptidase'', ''carboxypeptidase P'', ''proline-speci ...

, which cleaves

C-terminal The C-terminus (also known as the carboxyl-terminus, carboxy-terminus, C-terminal tail, C-terminal end, or COOH-terminus) is the end of an amino acid chain (protein or polypeptide), terminated by a free carboxyl group (-COOH). When the protein is ...

amino acids linked to proline in

peptide Peptides (, ) are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Long chains of amino acids are called proteins. Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides. ...

s such as angiotensin II, III and des-Arg9-

bradykinin Bradykinin (BK) (Greek brady-, slow; -kinin, kīn(eîn) to move) is a peptide that promotes inflammation. It causes arterioles to dilate (enlarge) via the release of prostacyclin, nitric oxide, and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor and ...

. The cleavage occurs at acidic pH, but the enzyme activity is retained with some substrates at neutral pH. This enzyme has been shown to be an activator of the cell matrix-associated

prekallikrein Prekallikrein (PK), also known as Fletcher factor, is an 85,000 Mr serine protease that complexes with high-molecular-weight kininogen. PK is the precursor of plasma kallikrein, which is a serine protease that activates kinins. PK is cleaved to pr ...

. The importance of angiotensin II, one of the substrates of this enzyme, in regulating blood pressure and electrolyte balance suggests that this gene may be related to

essential hypertension Essential hypertension (also called primary hypertension, or idiopathic hypertension) is the form of hypertension that by definition has no identifiable secondary cause. It is the most common type affecting 85% of those with high blood pressure. T ...

. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been observed.

References

Further reading