Sporulation protease LonC <p>This entry shows some relation to the widely distributed ATP-dependent protease La, also called Lon or LonA (<db_xref db="INTERPRO" dbkey="IPR004815"/>), but is more closely related to LonB (<db_xref db="INTERPRO" dbkey="IPR014251"/>), a LonA paralog found only in endospore-forming bacteria. Proteins in this entry are unassigned peptidases belonging to the MEROPS peptidase family S16 (lon protease family, clan SJ). They are restricted to a subset of endospore-forming species, and probably participate in the program of endospore formation. We propose the designation LonC.</p>