Kexin
Encyclopedia
Kexin is a prohormone processing protease
found in the budding yeast
(S. cerevisiae
) that shares structural similarities with the bacterial protease subtilisin
. It is encoded by the yeast gene KEX2 and usually referred to in the scientific community as Kex2p. The first mammalian homologue of this protein to be identified was furin
.
Protease
A protease is any enzyme that conducts proteolysis, that is, begins protein catabolism by hydrolysis of the peptide bonds that link amino acids together in the polypeptide chain forming the protein....
found in the budding yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
(S. cerevisiae
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a species of yeast. It is perhaps the most useful yeast, having been instrumental to baking and brewing since ancient times. It is believed that it was originally isolated from the skin of grapes...
) that shares structural similarities with the bacterial protease subtilisin
Subtilisin
Subtilisin is a non-specific protease initially obtained from Bacillus subtilis.Subtilisins belong to subtilases, a group of serine proteases that initiate the nucleophilic attack on the peptide bond through a serine residue at the active site. They are physically and chemically...
. It is encoded by the yeast gene KEX2 and usually referred to in the scientific community as Kex2p. The first mammalian homologue of this protein to be identified was furin
Furin
Furin is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FURIN gene. It was named furin because it was in the upstream region of an oncogene known as FES. The gene was known as FUR and therefore the protein was named furin...
.