Immunocytochemical analyses demonstrate that hepsin and TMPRSS2 colocalize on the cell surface with the secreted serine proteases KLK4 and KLK14, only in membrane protrusions, suggesting that reciprocal proteolytic interactions occur in defined cellular structures that are important during cancer dissemination for cell migration, invasion and survival.
These findings suggest that the MSP/RON signaling pathway may be regulated by hepsin in tissue homeostasis and in disease pathologies, such as in cancer and immune disorders.
Two other members of the TTSP family, matriptase and hepsin, are over-expressed in prostate adenocarcinoma and mechanistically influence cancer cell invasion and metastasis.
Some, such as hepsin, not only show increased expression in cancer, but can also provide prognostic information on prostate tumors based on their level of expression.