Abstract
THE mechanisms of breakdown of intracellular proteins are largely unknown. It is widely presumed that lysosomes are important agents of this process1, chiefly because they contain suitable enzymes2. Although autophagic uptake and degradation of cytoplasmic organelles by lysosomes has been described1, there is only circumstantial evidence for significant lysosomal involvement in turnover of intracellular proteins3–6. Indeed, it is difficult to explain the heterogeneous turnover rates of proteins7 by a process involving bulk uptake of material1. Furthermore, there is evidence for alternate systems of intracellular protein breakdown5,8. In contrast, it has been shown that macrophage lysosomes are largely responsible for the degradation of endocytosed proteins, and that cathepsin D participates9. In the work reported here, breakdown of endogenous proteins of the perfused rat liver has been retarded by a specific inhibitor of cathepsin D, directed to the lysosomes, thus demonstrating their importance in the process.
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DEAN, R. Direct evidence of importance of lysosomes in degradation of intracellular proteins. Nature 257, 414–416 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1038/257414a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/257414a0
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