CATHEPSIN G AND CELL ADHESION PROTEINS IN PROTECTIVE REACTIONS OF INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM
Cathepsin G (Cat G) is a serine protease of immune cells, whose activity includes regulatory, bactericidal and destructive functions, which causes its participation in the protective and restorative reactions of the body. Previously we showed that Cat G is a constitutive enzyme of human duodenal mucosa (HDM) and it was therefore suggested that it could interact with cellular adhesion proteins and participate in the regulation of homeostasis and epithelial defense reactions. To determine the principal possibility of Cat G to interact with cadherins of the intestinal epithelium, biopsy samples of normal HDM were studied by confocal microscopy using antibodies to desmogleins 1-3 and human E-cadherin. Colocalization of the cadherins and Cat G in HDM epithelium testifies to the possibility of their interaction in the regulation of tissue metabolism, modification and maintenance of the barrier properties of the epithelium, and also, in the development of protective and / or pathological processes.