Cloning, Heterologous Expression, and Enzymatic Characterization of Cathepsin L from Starfish (Asterina pectinifera)

To determine the role of cathepsin L in Echinoderms, starfish (Asterina pectinifera) cathepsin L (ApCtL) was cloned. The results of RT-PCR analysis indicated that the expression of ApCtL in all of the tissues. The promature enzyme of ApCtL, proApCtL, was expressed in Escherichia con, and cathepsin activity was detected by cleaving of synthetic fluorogenic peptide substrates and gelatin zymography.