proteolytisk

Proteolytisk is the Swedish term for proteolytic, relating to proteolysis—the enzymatic breakdown of proteins by proteases. Proteolysis is a fundamental process in all living organisms, involved in digestion, protein maturation, regulation of biological activity, and remodeling of cellular and extracellular proteins.

Proteases are enzymes that hydrolyze peptide bonds within proteins. They are classified by their catalytic mechanism, including serine, cysteine, aspartic, metalloproteases, threonine, and glutamic proteases. Proteases can act as endopeptidases, cleaving within a polypeptide, or exopeptidases, removing amino acids from the ends. Their activity is tightly regulated by pH, cofactors, substrate accessibility, and specific inhibitors.

Biological roles of proteolysis include digestion of dietary proteins in the stomach and small intestine, activation of precursor proteins (zymogens) such as pepsinogen and trypsinogen, and protein turnover within cells. Limited proteolysis also regulates signaling pathways and receptor activity. In physiology and pathology, caspases drive apoptosis, matrix metalloproteinases remodel the extracellular matrix, and proteolytic cascades participate in blood coagulation and inflammation.

Key examples of proteases are pepsin (stomach), trypsin and chymotrypsin (pancreas), caspases (apoptosis), and matrix metalloproteinases (tissue remodeling). Proteolysis is exploited in industry and medicine: proteases are used in detergents and food processing, while protease inhibitors—such as HIV protease inhibitors—are important therapeutics. Dysregulation of proteolysis is associated with diseases including pancreatitis, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.

In Swedish usage, proteolytisk describes processes, enzymes, and activities involving proteolysis.