Background to Autoimmunity programme

Cathepsin S is a cysteine peptidase present in immune cells (e.g. B-cells, macrophages, etc.).  Cathepsin S catalyses the proteolytic processing of invariant chain; which is associated with major histocompatability class II (MHCII) complex.  Proteolysis of invariant chain is required for productive loading of antigen fragments onto MHCII, making cathepsin S an attractive therapeutic target for immune modulation.  Selective modulation of cellular cathepsin S activity may provide a novel treatment for diseases such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc.