Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 7 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 ''PCSK7''

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 belongs to the subtilisin-like

proprotein A protein precursor, also called a pro-protein or pro-peptide, is an inactive protein (or peptide) that can be turned into an active form by post-translational modification, such as breaking off a piece of the molecule or adding on another molecule ...

convertase family. The members of this family are proprotein convertases that process latent precursor proteins into their biologically active products. This encoded protein is a calcium-dependent serine

endoprotease Endopeptidase or endoproteinase are proteolytic peptidases that break peptide bonds of nonterminal amino acids (i.e. within the molecule), in contrast to exopeptidases, which break peptide bonds from end-pieces of terminal amino acids. For this re ...

. It is structurally related to its family members, PACE and PACE4. This protein is concentrated in the trans- Golgi network, associated with the membranes, and is not secreted. It can process proalbumin and is thought to be responsible for the activation of

HIV envelope ''Env'' is a viral gene that encodes the protein forming the viral envelope. The expression of the ''env'' gene enables retroviruses to target and attach to specific cell types, and to infiltrate the target cell membrane. Analysis of the structure ...

glycoproteins

gp160 ''Env'' is a viral gene that encodes the protein forming the viral envelope. The expression of the ''env'' gene enables retroviruses to target and attach to specific cell types, and to infiltrate the target cell membrane. Analysis of the structur ...

and gp140. This gene has been implicated in the transcriptional regulation of housekeeping genes. Multiple alternatively spliced transcripts are described for this gene but their full length nature is not yet known. Downstream of this gene's map location at 11q23-q24,

nucleotides Nucleotides are organic molecules consisting of a nucleoside and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both of which are essential biomolecules with ...

that match part of this gene's 3' end are duplicated and inverted. A translocation breakpoint associated with

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enla ...

occurs between this gene and its inverted counterpart.

References

Further reading