Cathepsin X cleaves off the C-terminal Tyr139 of profilin 1, affecting binding of poly-L-proline ligands and, consequently, tumor cell migration and invasion.
The subcellular distribution of CTSX changed from vesicular paranuclear expression in the tumor center to submembranous expression in cells of the invasion front.
The cysteine-type peptidase cathepsin X is highly upregulated in several cancers and presumably promotes tumor invasion through bypassing cellular senescence.
Here, we describe further up-regulation in gastric cancer and report on the role of inflammatory cytokines required for cathepsin X up-regulation in H. pylori-infected gastric mucosa, as well as on consequences for cellular invasion.