What do ectoenzymes do?
1982; Elsevier BV; Volume: 7; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0968-0004(82)90207-9
ISSN1362-4326
AutoresKeith K. Stanley, Andrew C. Newby, J. Paul Luzio,
Tópico(s)Adenosine and Purinergic Signaling
ResumoThe first convincing biochemical description of cell membrane enzymes with their catalytic sites directed towards the extracellular space occurred in the 1950s1,2. Whilst their probable role in nutrient absorption in the gut was recognized immediately, they were also present in other cells. Engelhardt2, who coined the term ectoenzyme, found an ecto-ATPase at the surface of avian erythrocytes and stated that ‘at present the role of the ecto-ATPase … remains completely obscure’. Many other ectoenzymes have since been described but their physiological functions remain equally obscure. Here, we review some possible functions for ectoenzymes which arise out of recent experimental data.
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