Description
DegP acts as a chaperone at low temperatures but switches to a peptidase (heat shock protein) at higher temperatures (PubMed:10319814). Degrades transiently denatured and unfolded or misfolded proteins which accumulate in the periplasm following heat shock or other stress conditions (PubMed:16303867). DegP is efficient with Val-Xaa and Ile-Xaa peptide bonds, suggesting a preference for beta-branched side chain amino acids (PubMed:8830688). Only unfolded proteins devoid of disulfide bonds appear capable of being cleaved, thereby preventing non-specific proteolysis of folded proteins (PubMed:8830688). Its proteolytic activity is essential for the survival of cells at elevated temperatures (PubMed:7557477). It can degrade IciA, Ada, casein, globin and PapA. DegP shares specificity with DegQ (PubMed:8830688). DegP is also involved in the biogenesis of partially folded outer-membrane proteins (OMP)