Furin at the cutting edge: from protein traffic to embryogenesis and disease

Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2002 Oct;3(10):753-66. doi: 10.1038/nrm934.

Abstract

Furin catalyses a simple biochemical reaction--the proteolytic maturation of proprotein substrates in the secretory pathway. But the simplicity of this reaction belies furin's broad and important roles in homeostasis, as well as in diseases ranging from Alzheimer's disease and cancer to anthrax and Ebola fever. This review summarizes various features of furin--its structural and enzymatic properties, intracellular localization, trafficking, substrates, and roles in vivo.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Disease
  • Embryonic and Fetal Development / physiology*
  • Endocytosis
  • Furin
  • Golgi Apparatus / enzymology
  • Homeostasis
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Structure
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Signal Transduction
  • Subtilisins / chemistry
  • Subtilisins / genetics
  • Subtilisins / physiology*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / physiology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / physiology

Substances

  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha
  • Subtilisins
  • Furin