Background of the antigen
The cathepsin family of proteolytic enzymes contains several diverse classes of proteases. The cysteine protease class comprises cathepsins B, L, H, K, S, and O (1-6). The aspartyl protease class is composed of cathepsins D and E (7,8). Cathepsin G is in the serine protease class (9). Most cathepsins are lysosomal and each is involved in cellular metabolism, participating in various events such as peptide biosynthesis and protein degradation. Cathepsin S has been shown to be an elastinolytic cysteine proteinase present in aveloar macrophages.
