The selectivity of cathepsin D suggests an involvement of the enzyme in the generation of T-cell epitopes.

The selectivity of cathepsin D, a mammalian intracellular aspartyl proteinase involved in the degradation of endocytosed proteins, was studied. For this purpose, several proteins of known primary structure were subjected to mild proteolysis by the enzyme, and the preferentially cleaved peptide bonds were identified. Comparison of the primary structures around these sites indicates that cathepsin D shows a strong preference for peptide bonds within a distinct sequence pattern of amino acids extending over 7 residues. In general, this pattern is most likely to occur within amphipathic alpha-helical structures. These findings and their possible implications are discussed together with additional evidence suggesting an important role for cathepsin D in the processing of protein antigens, an essential step for their recognition by T-cells. Accordingly, it is proposed that the proteolytic activity of cathepsin D is crucial in selecting processing sites and hence the location and structural context of T-cell epitopes for the majority of protein antigens.