The emerging role of ADAM metalloproteinases in immunity

Proteolysis is an irreversible physiological process that can result in the termination or activation of protein function. Many transmembrane proteins that are involved in the cellular communication between immune cells and structural cells — for example, Notch, CD23, CD44, and membrane-anchored cytokines and their receptors — are cleaved by the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase) family of enzymes. Here, we review recent insights into...