title: Matriptase and prostasin are expressed in human skin in an inverse trend over the course of differentiation and are targeted to different regions of the plasma membrane.
abstract: Matriptase and prostasin, acting as a tightly coupled proteolytic cascade, were reported to be required for epidermal barrier formation in mouse skin. Here we show that, in human skin, matriptase and prostasin are expressed with an inverse pattern over the course of differentiation. Matriptase was detected primarily in epidermal basal keratinocytes and the basaloid cells in the outer root sheath of hair follicles and the sebaceous gland, where prostasin was not detected. In contrast, prostasin was detected primarily in differentiated cells in the epidermal granular layer, the inner root sheath of hair follicles, and the sebaceous gland, where matriptase expression is negligible. While co-expressed in the middle stage of differentiation, prostasin was detected as polarized patches, and matriptase at intercellular junctions. Targeting to different subcellular localizations is also observed in HaCaT human keratinocytes, in which matriptase was detected primarily at intercellular junctions, and prostasin primarily on membrane protrusion. Furthermore, upon induction of zymogen activation, free active prostasin remains cell-associated and free active matriptase is rapidly shed into the extracellular milieu. Our data suggest that matriptase and prostasin likely function as independent entities in human skin rather than as a tightly coupled proteolytic cascade as observed in mouse skin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry Renai Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei 114, Taiwan Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chih-Hsin
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Shuang-Ho Hospital. School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shun-Cheng
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yen-Ju
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan School of Medicine, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Jie J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology Georgetown University Washington DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Ying-Jun J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology Georgetown University Washington DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Hsiang-Hua D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology Georgetown University Washington DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Berens
authors.affiliation: Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology Georgetown University Washington DC 20057, USA.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan Department of Biochemistry, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei 114, Taiwan lincy@georgetown.edu jkwang@ndmctsgh.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Jehng-Kang
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Oncology Georgetown University Washington DC 20057, USA lincy@georgetown.edu jkwang@ndmctsgh.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chen-Yong
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lin
keywords: Matriptase; Prostasin; Skin