Kallikrein-7 (KLK7)

Desquamation-regulating enzymes are a group of primarily serine proteases responsible for the controlled degradation of corneodesmosomes, which are intercellular adhesion structures in the stratum corneum of the skin. The best-characterized enzyme in this group is kallikrein-7 (KLK7, also known as stratum corneum chymotryptic enzyme or SCCE), which selectively cleaves extracellular regions of desmosomal proteins (e.g., desmoglein, desmocollin), enabling orderly shedding of corneocytes. KLK7 and related enzymes are produced by keratinocytes in the epidermis and are tightly regulated by endogenous inhibitors (e.g., LEKTI) and local pH. Dysregulation of these enzymes can cause skin pathologies characterized by impaired barrier function, scaling, and inflammation. The term does not refer to a single molecular entity, but most references to "desquamation-regulating enzyme" in the literature point to KLK7/SCCE as the prototypical and therapeutically relevant enzyme in this context. For structured databases and drug targeting purposes, it is appropriate to resolve the term to "Kallikrein-7 (KLK7)" or other specific kallikreins as needed.

Other names

Stratum corneum chymotryptic enzymeSCCEhuman kallikrein 7KLK7kallikrein-5 (KLK5)tryptic enzymechymotryptic enzymedesquamin

Inhibition of protease activity to maintain corneodesmosome integrity and prevent premature or excessive desquamation