MINIREVIEW SERIES: The structural basis of calpain behavior

Calpains are intracellular Ca2+-regulated cysteine proteases which mediate regulatory cleavage of specific substrates. They cover a broad range of physiological functions including proteolysis of molecules involved in cytoskeletal organization, the cell cycle, signal transduction, apoptosis, and protein renewal during growth and tissue regeneration. Originally found in mammalian skeletal muscle then in numerous organisms including protists and plants, their expression is ubiquitous. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]