Description
Cathepsin E (CTSE, EC: 3.4.23.34) is a gastric aspartyl protease that functions as a disulfide-linked homodimer. This protease has a specificity similar to that of pepsin A and cathepsin D. It is an intracellular proteinase that is found in highest concentration on the surface of epithelial mucus-producing cells of the stomach. It is the first aspartic proteinase expressed in the fetal stomach and is found in more than half of gastric cancers