Expression of transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2 in mouse and human tissues

The purpose of this study was to clarify the expression of TMPRSS2 in mice during development and to compare the tissue distribution of the transcript s in adult mouse and human tissues. Mouse TMPRSS2 cDNA was cloned; the pred icted amino acid sequence contains 490 residues sharing 81.4% similarity wi th human TMPRSS2, According to northern blots, mouse TMPRSS2 is expressed m ainly in the prostate and kidney, while human TMPRSS2 is expressed in the p rostate, colon, stomach, and salivary gland. In situ hybridization analyses of mouse embryos and adult tissues revealed that TMPRSS2 was expressed in the epithelia of the gastrointestinal, urogenital, and respiratory tracts. Expression was very selective and constant after the gene was turned on dur ing development. Expression of TMPRSS2 was localized in the luminal epithel ial cells of the mouse and human prostate. The information presented here s ill be useful in further studies regarding the function and physiological s ignificance of TMPRSS2. Copyright (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.