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ANPEP Full Name
alanyl (membrane) aminopeptidase
ANPEP Introduction
ANPEP (alanyl membrane aminopeptidase), also known as CD13, is a zinc-dependent ectopeptidase anchored on the cell surface and widely expressed in epithelial cells, endothelial cells, fibroblasts, and cells of the myeloid lineage. For researchers and clinicians trying to understand why metabolic reprogramming and immune heterogeneity complicate disease progression, ANPEP has emerged as more than a housekeeping enzyme involved in peptide trimming. Its membrane localization and enzymatic activity position it at the interface between extracellular signals and intracellular responses, enabling it to modulate nutrient availability, signal transduction, and cell–cell interactions. This dual structural and functional role makes ANPEP particularly relevant when conventional biomarkers fail to explain differences in disease behavior across patient populations.
Functionally, ANPEP plays a central role in amino acid metabolism, peptide processing, and the regulation of inflammatory and immune responses. Recent cancer-focused studies have highlighted its ability to reshape the tumor microenvironment through metabolic and immune pathways. In prostate cancer, elevated ANPEP expression has been closely associated with increased macrophage infiltration and altered cholesterol transport and androgen signaling, suggesting that ANPEP contributes to an immunometabolic niche that supports tumor growth. Notably, this effect appears especially pronounced in tumors from men of African descent, underscoring ANPEP as a potential driver of population-specific tumor biology. Beyond prostate cancer, multi-omics analyses in pancreatic cancer models have shown that ANPEP expression rises markedly during the development of gemcitabine resistance, where it correlates with shifts in pyrimidine and amino acid metabolism, pointing to a role in metabolic rewiring and stress adaptation under chemotherapeutic pressure.
The disease relevance of ANPEP extends well beyond oncology, reinforcing its value as a cross-disciplinary therapeutic and diagnostic target. In cardiovascular research, bioinformatic and protein–protein interaction analyses have identified ANPEP as a key molecule associated with carotid atherosclerotic plaque formation, potentially acting through extracellular matrix remodeling and inflammation-related pathways. Molecular docking studies further suggest that ANPEP can interact with bioactive compounds, highlighting its druggability in vascular disease contexts. In inflammatory airway diseases, proteomic profiling of patients with bronchial asthma and allergic rhinitis has revealed significant upregulation of ANPEP in upper airway secretions, where it clusters with immune and oxidative stress–related proteins, implicating it in airway inflammation regulation. Taken together, these findings position ANPEP as a unifying molecular link between metabolism, immunity, and disease progression, offering a compelling target for researchers seeking mechanistic insight and translational opportunities across cancer, cardiovascular, and inflammatory disorders.
Alternate Names for ANPEP
ANPEP
alanyl (membrane) aminopeptidase
APN
CD13
P150
aminopeptidase N
AP-M
AP-N
bAPN
aminopeptidase M
alanyl aminopeptidase
microsomal aminopeptidase
