Biochimica et biophysica acta
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Biochim. Biophys. Acta · Feb 2007
ReviewMolecular and cellular basis of calpainopathy (limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A).
Limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2A results from mutations in the gene encoding the calpain 3 protease. Mutations in this disease are inherited in an autosomal recessive fashion and result in progressive proximal skeletal muscle wasting but no cardiac abnormalities. Calpain 3 has been shown to proteolytically cleave a wide variety of cytoskeletal and myofibrillar proteins and to act upstream of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. In this review, we summarize the known biochemical and physiological features of calpain 3 and hypothesize why mutations result in disease.