Affinage

TMPRSS13

Transmembrane protease serine 13 · UniProt Q9BYE2

Length
586 aa
Mass
63.2 kDa
Annotated
2026-06-13
35 papers in source corpus 18 papers cited in narrative 18 extracted findings
Cross-family judge vs UniProt: Affinage preferred

Mechanistic narrative

Synthesis pass · prose summary of the discoveries below

TMPRSS13 (MSPL) is a type II transmembrane serine protease that governs pericellular proteolysis at epithelial surfaces and serves as a host activating protease for diverse viral envelope glycoproteins (PMID:17981585, PMID:20219906). Its catalytic domain preferentially cleaves polybasic [R/K]-K-K-R motifs, a specificity dictated by a unique Asp/Glu-rich 99-loop that engages the P2-Lys and P4-Arg of the substrate while the P1-Arg inserts into the S1 pocket (PMID:17981585, PMID:33820827). Maturation proceeds by autonomous, intracellular autoactivation in the ER and Golgi via cleavage within the extracellular stem region, with R223 a critical scissile site; this processing is required for catalytic activity, surface trafficking, and shedding (PMID:35796294, PMID:39643034). N-linked glycosylation of the protease domain is a prerequisite for autoactivation, catalytic activity, and ER-to-surface export, and is itself required for downstream phosphorylation of the intracellular domain (PMID:34562451). The cognate Kunitz-type inhibitors HAI-1 and HAI-2 both restrain catalytic activity and paradoxically promote its phosphorylation, surface localization, and stability by protecting TMPRSS13 from trans-autodegradation (PMID:20977675, PMID:28710277, PMID:39643034). Endogenous substrates include pro-HGF, whose activation triggers c-Met/ERK signaling, and the prostasin zymogen (PMID:20977675, PMID:32868877). Physiologically, TMPRSS13 is expressed in oral, digestive, and skin epithelia and is required for epidermal barrier formation, and it drives breast and colorectal cancer progression by supporting proliferation, invasion, and resistance to apoptosis (PMID:24832573, PMID:32868877, PMID:32807808). As a host protease, TMPRSS13 cleaves the multibasic activation motifs of highly pathogenic influenza HA and the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-1/2, MERS-CoV, PEDV, and SADS-CoV to enable membrane fusion and viral entry, with S2' cleavage requiring a K/R-rich motif distinct from the determinants used by TMPRSS2 (PMID:20219906, PMID:25122802, PMID:33671076, PMID:35913162, PMID:38808555).

Mechanistic history

Synthesis pass · year-by-year structured walk · 9 steps
  1. 2008 Medium

    Establishing that MSPL/TMPRSS13 are type II transmembrane serine proteases with a defined domain architecture and basic-residue cleavage preference set the foundation for all subsequent substrate work.

    Evidence Recombinant soluble protein expression with synthetic substrate and inhibitor profiling, plus cDNA domain analysis

    PMID:17981585

    Open questions at the time
    • No physiological substrate or in vivo role identified
    • Specificity defined only by synthetic peptides, not endogenous proteins
  2. 2010 High

    The first physiological and pathophysiological substrates emerged: TMPRSS13 activates influenza HA multibasic motifs and converts pro-HGF to active HGF, linking the protease to viral entry and growth-factor signaling.

    Evidence Peptide cleavage, full-length HA processing, cell-based fusion and viral replication assays; in vitro pro-HGF cleavage with c-Met/ERK readout; HAI-1 inhibition assays

    PMID:20219906 PMID:20977675

    Open questions at the time
    • Endogenous (non-overexpression) contribution to viral spread not established
    • HGF activation shown in vitro/cell lines, not in tissue
  3. 2014 High

    Genetic and tissue evidence established a physiological role in epithelial barrier biology and extended viral activation to coronaviruses.

    Evidence Tmprss13 reporter knock-in mouse with transepidermal water loss and histology; spike cleavage and fusion assays for MERS-CoV/SARS-CoV in lung-expressed protease

    PMID:24832573 PMID:25122802

    Open questions at the time
    • Endogenous epidermal substrate driving barrier defect not identified
    • Coronavirus activation tested largely by overexpression
  4. 2017 High

    Defining the autoactivation and HAI-dependent regulatory logic explained how an active intracellular protease reaches and is controlled at the cell surface.

    Evidence Surface labeling, subcellular fractionation, co-expression with HAI-1/HAI-2, phosphorylation analysis

    PMID:28710277

    Open questions at the time
    • Kinase responsible for intracellular-domain phosphorylation not identified
    • Functional consequence of shedding unresolved
  5. 2020 High

    Loss- and gain-of-function studies established TMPRSS13 as a driver of breast and colorectal cancer and identified prostasin as an endogenous substrate.

    Evidence siRNA knockdown, transgenic KO x MMTV-PymT tumor model, proliferation/apoptosis/invasion assays, Co-IP and prostasin zymogen activation; CRC drug-sensitivity assays

    PMID:32807808 PMID:32868877

    Open questions at the time
    • Prostasin identified by Co-IP/zymogen assay without reciprocal validation in vivo
    • Mechanism linking proteolysis to apoptosis resistance undefined
  6. 2021 High

    Structural and post-translational studies resolved the molecular basis of substrate specificity and the requirement of glycosylation for maturation, while expanding viral substrates to SARS-CoV-2.

    Evidence Crystal structure with substrate-analog inhibitor; glycosylation-site mutagenesis with activity/localization/phosphorylation readouts; TTSP expression screen with pseudovirus and live SARS-CoV-2 entry

    PMID:33671076 PMID:33820827 PMID:34562451

    Open questions at the time
    • Structure captures inhibitor complex, not native substrate or full-length protein
    • SARS-CoV-2 entry assessed under exogenous overexpression
  7. 2022 High

    Mechanistic dissection located the autoactivation cleavage to the extracellular stem region (R223), defined a K/R-rich S2' cleavage determinant distinct from TMPRSS2, and identified IL4I1 as a surface-binding partner competing with spike.

    Evidence Stem-region basic-residue mutagenesis with activation/surface/shedding/phosphorylation readouts; spike S2' mutagenesis with pseudovirus and Calu-3 entry; IL4I1 binding and spike-competition assays

    PMID:35796294 PMID:35913162 PMID:36131918

    Open questions at the time
    • Physiological role of IL4I1-TMPRSS13 interaction unresolved
    • Whether stem cleavage occurs in cis or trans not fully established
  8. 2024 High

    Compartmental and stability mechanisms were refined, showing ER/Golgi autoactivation and HAI-1-mediated protection from trans-autodegradation, and viral substrate range extended to SADS-CoV.

    Evidence Brefeldin A/monensin trafficking inhibitors, co-transfection and flow cytometry for HAI-1 effects; CRISPR endogenous-activation TTSP screen with pseudovirus/fusion/cleavage and camostat for SADS-CoV

    PMID:38808555 PMID:39643034

    Open questions at the time
    • HAI-1-specific protection mechanism vs other TTSPs not fully resolved
    • SADS-CoV relevance limited to trypsin-dependent infection
  9. 2025 Medium

    Development of selective ketobenzothiazole peptidomimetic inhibitors provided chemical tools and a candidate antiviral strategy targeting TMPRSS13.

    Evidence Enzymatic screening of a 65-compound library against recombinant TMPRSS13, molecular modelling, cellular activity and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry inhibition

    PMID:39976239

    Open questions at the time
    • Selectivity over related TTSPs not fully characterized
    • No in vivo efficacy data

Open questions

Synthesis pass · forward-looking unresolved questions
  • The kinase that phosphorylates the TMPRSS13 intracellular domain and the in vivo substrate repertoire underlying its epithelial barrier and oncogenic functions remain unidentified.
  • Intracellular-domain kinase unknown
  • Endogenous substrates in skin/digestive epithelia beyond prostasin/HGF undefined
  • Physiological relevance of viral activation versus overexpression systems unresolved

Mechanism profile

Synthesis pass · controlled-vocabulary classification · explore literature graph →
Molecular activity
GO:0140096 catalytic activity, acting on a protein 6 GO:0001618 virus receptor activity 5 GO:0016787 hydrolase activity 2
Localization
GO:0005886 plasma membrane 3 GO:0005783 endoplasmic reticulum 2 GO:0005794 Golgi apparatus 1
Pathway
R-HSA-1643685 Disease 5 R-HSA-392499 Metabolism of proteins 3 R-HSA-1266738 Developmental Biology 1

Evidence

Reading pass · 18 per-paper findings extracted from the source corpus
Year Finding Method Journal Conf PMIDs
2008 MSPL and its splice variant TMPRSS13 are type II transmembrane serine proteases with a cytoplasmic tail containing tandem repeat phosphorylation motifs, a transmembrane domain, and a trypsin-like serine protease domain. Recombinant soluble MSPL and TMPRSS13 preferentially cleave paired basic amino acid residues and are strongly inhibited by aprotinin, benzamidine, and Bowman-Birk trypsin inhibitor, but poorly inhibited by alpha1-antitrypsin and leupeptin. Recombinant protein expression, enzymatic assay with synthetic substrates and inhibitors, structural domain analysis from cDNA Frontiers in bioscience Medium 17981585
2010 MSPL and TMPRSS13 proteolytically cleave the hemagglutinin (HA) of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses at both R/K-K-K-R cleavage site motifs, activating membrane fusion. Unlike furin, MSPL and TMPRSS13 cleave both types of HA multibasic cleavage motifs (R-X-K/R-R and K-K/R-K/T-R) in a calcium-independent manner, and their activity is suppressible by specific inhibitors. Expression of MSPL or TMPRSS13 in transfected cells enabled multicycle replication of HPAI viruses with the K-K-K-R motif. Synthetic peptide cleavage assays, transfection of full-length recombinant HPAI HA, cell-based membrane fusion assay, inhibitor studies, viral infection assay in protease-expressing cells Journal of virology High 20219906
2010 TMPRSS13 proteolytic activity is inhibited by hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 (HAI-1). A soluble form of HAI-1 containing one Kunitz domain (NK1) forms a complex with TMPRSS13 and more strongly inhibits it than the two-Kunitz-domain form (NK1LK2). TMPRSS13 converts single-chain pro-HGF to the active two-chain form in vitro, and this activity is inhibited by NK1. The resulting active HGF induces phosphorylation of c-Met and ERK, and scattered morphology in HepG2 cells. In vitro protein binding assay (complex formation), enzymatic inhibition assay, in vitro pro-HGF cleavage assay, cell-based signaling assay (c-Met/ERK phosphorylation, morphology) The FEBS journal High 20977675
2014 MSPL (TMPRSS13) and DESC1 cleave and activate the spike proteins of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV for cell-cell and virus-cell fusion. MSPL and DESC1 are expressed in human lung tissue and support spread of all influenza virus subtypes previously pandemic in humans. Cell-cell and virus-cell fusion assays, spike protein cleavage assays, expression analysis in human lung tissue, viral amplification assays Journal of virology Medium 25122802
2014 TMPRSS13 (Tmprss13) is highly expressed in epithelia of the oral cavity, upper digestive tract, and skin. Genetic disruption of Tmprss13 in mice causes abnormal skin development and compromised epidermal barrier function, as measured by increased transepidermal fluid loss in newborn mice. Beta-galactosidase reporter knock-in mouse model, transepidermal water loss measurement, histological analysis The Biochemical journal High 24832573
2017 TMPRSS13 is a glycosylated, active protease that undergoes autoactivation through its own proteolytic activity (zymogen cleavage). Full-length active TMPRSS13 shows impaired cell-surface expression without its cognate inhibitors HAI-1 or HAI-2. Co-presence of TMPRSS13 with HAI-1 or HAI-2 mediates phosphorylation of residues in the intracellular domain, coinciding with efficient transport to the cell surface and subsequent shedding. The dominant cell-surface form of TMPRSS13 is phosphorylated, while intracellular TMPRSS13 is predominantly non-phosphorylated. Cell-surface labeling experiments, Western blotting, co-expression studies, site-directed mutagenesis (implied by activation analysis), subcellular fractionation The Journal of biological chemistry High 28710277
2017 MSPL (and TMPRSS2) promotes porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) cell-cell fusion and virus-cell fusion. MSPL co-localizes with and cleaves the PEDV spike (S) protein, enabling multicycle PEDV replication in Vero cells in the absence of exogenous trypsin. Cell-based fusion assay, co-localization experiments, S protein cleavage assay by co-expression, viral replication assay in MSPL-expressing cells Viruses Medium 28524070
2020 TMPRSS13 promotes breast cancer progression; siRNA-mediated silencing decreases proliferation, induces apoptosis, and attenuates invasion in human breast cancer cell lines. Genetic ablation of TMPRSS13 in the MMTV-PymT transgenic mouse model reduces overall tumor burden, growth rate, and delays tumor formation. TMPRSS13 knockdown increases prostasin protein levels, and co-immunoprecipitation and prostasin zymogen activation experiments identify prostasin as a potential TMPRSS13 substrate. siRNA knockdown, transgenic mouse tumor model (TMPRSS13 KO x MMTV-PymT), proliferation/apoptosis/invasion assays, co-immunoprecipitation, prostasin zymogen activation assay Oncogene High 32868877
2020 TMPRSS13 silencing in colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines increases apoptosis and impairs invasive potential. Transgenic overexpression of TMPRSS13 increases tolerance to apoptosis-inducing agents (paclitaxel, HA14-1), while silencing renders CRC cells more sensitive. TMPRSS13 thus promotes cell survival and resistance to drug-induced apoptosis in CRC. siRNA knockdown, transgenic overexpression, apoptosis assays, invasion assays, drug sensitivity assays (paclitaxel, HA14-1) Scientific reports Medium 32807808
2021 TMPRSS11D and TMPRSS13 enhance cellular uptake and replication of SARS-CoV-2 when exogenously expressed in ACE2-expressing HEK293T or Vero E6 cells. TMPRSS13 activates the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to facilitate cellular entry, and this mechanism is shared with SARS-CoV-1. Exogenous expression screen of 12 TTSPs, pseudovirus entry assay, live virus replication assay in ACE2-expressing cells Viruses Medium 33671076
2021 Crystal structure of the extracellular region of human MSPL (TMPRSS13) in complex with an irreversible substrate-analog inhibitor was solved. The structure revealed three domains clustered around the C-terminal alpha-helix of the serine protease domain (SPD). The P1-Arg inserts into the S1 pocket, while P2-Lys and P4-Arg interact with a unique Asp/Glu-rich 99-loop of MSPL that determines its specificity for [R/K]-K-K-R sequences. X-ray crystallography, inhibitor complex structure determination, structural analysis of substrate-binding determinants Life science alliance High 33820827
2021 N-linked glycosylation of the serine protease (SP) domain of TMPRSS13 is critical for autoactivation, catalytic activity toward the prostasin zymogen substrate, and cell-surface trafficking; glycosylation-deficient SP domain mutants are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. N-linked glycosylation is also a prerequisite for subsequent phosphorylation of TMPRSS13. Site-directed mutagenesis of glycosylation sites (individual and combinatorial), Western blotting, immunofluorescence/ER localization, prostasin zymogen activation assay The Journal of biological chemistry High 34562451
2022 TMPRSS13 cleaves the SARS-CoV-2 spike S2' motif (811-KPSKR-815) in a sequence-dependent manner that differs from TMPRSS2: residue K814 (preceding the scissile R815) is dispensable for TMPRSS2 activation but is favored by TMPRSS13. TMPRSS13 requires a sequence rich in K/R residues at the S2' site, while TMPRSS2 is more tolerant of variation. Swapping the SARS-CoV-2 S2' motif with that of 229E coronavirus drastically reduced TMPRSS13-mediated activation but had no effect on TMPRSS2. Site-directed mutagenesis of spike S2' motif, pseudovirus entry assay, Calu-3 cell entry experiments, comparative analysis of TMPRSS2 vs TMPRSS13 substrate specificity mBio High 35913162
2022 TMPRSS13 zymogen activation, cell-surface localization, shedding, and phosphorylation require proteolytic cleavage within the extracellular stem region between the transmembrane domain and the SRCR domain. This stem cleavage depends on TMPRSS13's own catalytic activity (autonomous mechanism). Mutagenesis of 10 basic residues (4 Arg, 6 Lys) in the stem region abrogated all these processing steps. Specifically, R223 (between the LDLRA and SRCR domains) was identified as an important site for stem region cleavage. Site-directed mutagenesis (individual and combinatorial basic residue mutations), Western blotting for zymogen activation and shedding, flow cytometry for cell surface expression, phosphorylation analysis Biological chemistry High 35796294
2022 IL4I1 (interleukin four-induced gene 1), a secreted enzyme, binds to TMPRSS13 on the cell surface of human lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages. IL4I1 and SARS-CoV-2 spike share regions of homology and compete for binding to TMPRSS13. Binding assay (identified by protein interaction screen), competition assay between IL4I1 and spike protein for TMPRSS13, pseudotyped virus entry assay, cell-surface expression analysis Frontiers in immunology Medium 36131918
2024 TMPRSS13 promotes SADS-CoV cell entry specifically at the membrane fusion step by cleaving the SADS-CoV spike protein. Both human and pig TMPRSS13 enhance cell-cell membrane fusion and spike cleavage. This activity is sensitive to the serine protease inhibitor camostat. TMPRSS13 specifically facilitates trypsin-dependent (not trypsin-independent) SADS-CoV infection. CRISPR-based endogenous activation screen of all 18 TTSP members, ectopic expression validation, pseudovirus entry assay with SADS-CoV spike, cell-cell fusion assay, spike cleavage assay, camostat inhibitor treatment Journal of medical virology High 38808555
2024 TMPRSS13 undergoes intracellular autoactivation in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. HAI-1 facilitates TMPRSS13 activation, protects it from autodegradation (trans-autodegradation), and stabilizes its cell-surface expression—distinct from its effect on HPN and TMPRSS2. Active TMPRSS13 is subject to trans-autodegradation that reduces cell-surface expression. Site-directed mutagenesis, Western blotting, flow cytometry, immunostaining, brefeldin A and monensin treatment (Golgi/ER trafficking inhibitors), co-transfection assays Life sciences Medium 39643034
2025 Ketobenzothiazole-based peptidomimetic inhibitors were developed for TMPRSS13 through screening a 65-compound library against recombinant active TMPRSS13. Lead inhibitor N-0430 achieved low nanomolar affinity toward TMPRSS13 in a cellular context. Molecular modelling identified key molecular determinants of TMPRSS13 inhibition. N-0430 blocked TMPRSS13-dependent SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus cell entry. In vitro enzymatic screening of compound library against recombinant TMPRSS13, molecular modelling, cellular TMPRSS13 activity assay, SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry inhibition assay Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry Medium 39976239

Source papers

Stage 0 corpus · 35 papers · ranked by NIH iCite citations
Year Title Journal Citations PMID
2001 Msps/XMAP215 interacts with the centrosomal protein D-TACC to regulate microtubule behaviour. Nature cell biology 225 11433296
2001 Msps protein is localized to acentrosomal poles to ensure bipolarity of Drosophila meiotic spindles. Nature cell biology 132 11433295
2007 Proper recruitment of gamma-tubulin and D-TACC/Msps to embryonic Drosophila centrosomes requires Centrosomin Motif 1. Molecular biology of the cell 91 17671162
2010 Novel type II transmembrane serine proteases, MSPL and TMPRSS13, Proteolytically activate membrane fusion activity of the hemagglutinin of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses and induce their multicycle replication. Journal of virology 76 20219906
2021 TMPRSS11D and TMPRSS13 Activate the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Viruses 69 33671076
2014 DESC1 and MSPL activate influenza A viruses and emerging coronaviruses for host cell entry. Journal of virology 67 25122802
2013 Cancer therapy and fluorescence imaging using the active release of doxorubicin from MSPs/Ni-LDH folate targeting nanoparticles. Biomaterials 47 23886730
2009 Drosophila Dgt6 interacts with Ndc80, Msps/XMAP215, and gamma-tubulin to promote kinetochore-driven MT formation. Current biology : CB 46 19836241
2010 TMPRSS13, a type II transmembrane serine protease, is inhibited by hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor type 1 and activates pro-hepatocyte growth factor. The FEBS journal 39 20977675
2019 Circularized and solubility-enhanced MSPs facilitate simple and high-yield production of stable nanodiscs for studies of membrane proteins in solution. The FEBS journal 37 30675761
2017 TMPRSS2 and MSPL Facilitate Trypsin-Independent Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus Replication in Vero Cells. Viruses 28 28524070
2010 Parallel genetic and proteomic screens identify Msps as a CLASP-Abl pathway interactor in Drosophila. Genetics 27 20498300
2008 MSPL/TMPRSS13. Frontiers in bioscience : a journal and virtual library 25 17981585
2017 Phosphorylation of the type II transmembrane serine protease, TMPRSS13, in hepatocyte growth factor activator inhibitor-1 and -2-mediated cell-surface localization. The Journal of biological chemistry 24 28710277
2014 TMPRSS13 deficiency impairs stratum corneum formation and epidermal barrier acquisition. The Biochemical journal 22 24832573
2023 Multisystem proteinopathies (MSPs) and MSP-like disorders: Clinical-pathological-molecular spectrum. Annals of clinical and translational neurology 20 36861178
2016 Arl2- and Msps-dependent microtubule growth governs asymmetric division. The Journal of cell biology 20 26953351
2007 Hsp90 is required to localise cyclin B and Msps/ch-TOG to the mitotic spindle in Drosophila and humans. Journal of cell science 20 17376965
2020 The cell-surface anchored serine protease TMPRSS13 promotes breast cancer progression and resistance to chemotherapy. Oncogene 16 32868877
2021 Msps governs acentrosomal microtubule assembly and reactivation of quiescent neural stem cells. The EMBO journal 15 34368973
2021 Crystal structure of inhibitor-bound human MSPL that can activate high pathogenic avian influenza. Life science alliance 13 33820827
2020 TMPRSS13 promotes cell survival, invasion, and resistance to drug-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer. Scientific reports 13 32807808
2022 Impact of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutations on Its Activation by TMPRSS2 and the Alternative TMPRSS13 Protease. mBio 11 35913162
2020 Establishment of stable Vero cell lines expressing TMPRSS2 and MSPL: A useful tool for propagating porcine epidemic diarrhea virus in the absence of exogenous trypsin. Virulence 11 32471322
2021 Posttranslational modifications of serine protease TMPRSS13 regulate zymogen activation, proteolytic activity, and cell surface localization. The Journal of biological chemistry 10 34562451
2022 IL4I1 binds to TMPRSS13 and competes with SARS-CoV-2 spike. Frontiers in immunology 9 36131918
2024 TMPRSS13 promotes the cell entry of swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus. Journal of medical virology 8 38808555
2015 Establishment of MDCK Stable Cell Lines Expressing TMPRSS2 and MSPL and Their Applications in Propagating Influenza Vaccine Viruses in Absence of Exogenous Trypsin. Biotechnology research international 8 25918647
2022 TMPRSS13 zymogen activation, surface localization, and shedding is regulated by proteolytic cleavage within the non-catalytic stem region. Biological chemistry 6 35796294
2025 Development of ketobenzothiazole-based peptidomimetic TMPRSS13 inhibitors with low nanomolar potency. Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry 5 39976239
1991 Identification of Duchenne muscular dystrophy genomic probe P20 constant Taql fragment corresponding to the EcoRV and Mspl polymorphisms. Prenatal diagnosis 2 1709287
2024 Development of ketobenzothiazole-based peptidomimetic TMPRSS13 inhibitors with low nanomolar potency. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 1 39257753
2024 Intracellular autoactivation and surface location of hepsin, TMPRSS2, and TMPRSS13. Life sciences 1 39643034
2026 To Be or Not to Be an Oocyte: Msps/XMAP215 Controls Oocyte Cell Fate in the Drosophila Ovary. bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology 0 41726911
2016 A searchable database for the genome of Phomopsis longicolla (isolate MSPL 10-6). Bioinformation 0 28197060

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