| Structural highlights
Function
TMPS2_HUMAN Plasma membrane-anchored serine protease that participates in proteolytic cascades of relevance for the normal physiologic function of the prostate (PubMed:25122198). Androgen-induced TMPRSS2 activates several substrates that include pro-hepatocyte growth factor/HGF, the protease activated receptor-2/F2RL1 or matriptase/ST14 leading to extracellular matrix disruption and metastasis of prostate cancer cells (PubMed:15537383, PubMed:26018085, PubMed:25122198). In addition, activates trigeminal neurons and contribute to both spontaneous pain and mechanical allodynia (By similarity).[UniProtKB:Q9JIQ8][1] [2] [3] (Microbial infection) Facilitates human coronaviruses SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 infections via two independent mechanisms, proteolytic cleavage of ACE2 receptor which promotes viral uptake, and cleavage of coronavirus spike glycoproteins which activates the glycoprotein for host cell entry (PubMed:24227843, PubMed:32142651, PubMed:32404436). Proteolytically cleaves and activates the spike glycoproteins of human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E) and human coronavirus EMC (HCoV-EMC) and the fusion glycoproteins F0 of Sendai virus (SeV), human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, 4a and 4b viruses (HPIV). Essential for spread and pathogenesis of influenza A virus (strains H1N1, H3N2 and H7N9); involved in proteolytic cleavage and activation of hemagglutinin (HA) protein which is essential for viral infectivity.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] SUMO_YEAST Ubiquitin-like protein that can be covalently attached to proteins as a monomer or a lysine-linked polymer (PubMed:9312010). Sumoylation, the attachment of SUMO to target proteins, regulates multiple cellular events (By similarity).[UniProtKB:O13351][12]
Publication Abstract from PubMed
The protease TMPRSS2 facilitates coronavirus infections, yet its mechanism of viral glycoprotein recognition remains unclear. Here we show that, following ACE2 engagement of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) inducing the early fusion intermediate conformation (E-FIC), TMPRSS2 cleaves the R815 S(2)' site and promotes fusogenic conformational changes leading to viral entry. We unveil TMPRSS2 recognition of S(2)', identify key residues modulating binding specificity and demonstrate that S(2)' site-directed broadly neutralizing antibodies target E-FIC and inhibit viral entry by blocking TMPRSS2 access. We computationally designed stabilized E-FIC as a vaccine candidate, overcoming the transient nature of this state. We describe a TMPRSS2-directed monoclonal antibody inhibiting several coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 variants and protecting mice against SARS-CoV-2 challenge. These results outline the mechanistic role of TMPRSS2 and S(2)' site-directed antibodies in coronavirus entry.
TMPRSS2-mediated coronavirus spike activation and inhibition.,McCallum M, Case JB, Brown JT, Park YJ, Lee J, Sutherland E, Aggarwal A, Gibson C, Lempp FA, Stewart C, Tortorici MA, Sanapala S, Low JS, Asarnow D, Bohan D, Dellota E Jr, Merz B, Chawla B, Kar S, Lanzavecchia A, Sallusto F, Riley NM, Turville S, Purcell L, Diamond MS, Veesler D Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2026 Apr 28. doi: 10.1038/s41594-026-01801-y. PMID:42050172[13]
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
References
- ↑ Wilson S, Greer B, Hooper J, Zijlstra A, Walker B, Quigley J, Hawthorne S. The membrane-anchored serine protease, TMPRSS2, activates PAR-2 in prostate cancer cells. Biochem J. 2005 Jun 15;388(Pt 3):967-72. doi: 10.1042/BJ20041066. PMID:15537383 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1042/BJ20041066
- ↑ Lucas JM, Heinlein C, Kim T, Hernandez SA, Malik MS, True LD, Morrissey C, Corey E, Montgomery B, Mostaghel E, Clegg N, Coleman I, Brown CM, Schneider EL, Craik C, Simon JA, Bedalov A, Nelson PS. The androgen-regulated protease TMPRSS2 activates a proteolytic cascade involving components of the tumor microenvironment and promotes prostate cancer metastasis. Cancer Discov. 2014 Nov;4(11):1310-25. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-1010. Epub, 2014 Aug 13. PMID:25122198 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-1010
- ↑ Ko CJ, Huang CC, Lin HY, Juan CP, Lan SW, Shyu HY, Wu SR, Hsiao PW, Huang HP, Shun CT, Lee MS. Androgen-Induced TMPRSS2 Activates Matriptase and Promotes Extracellular Matrix Degradation, Prostate Cancer Cell Invasion, Tumor Growth, and Metastasis. Cancer Res. 2015 Jul 15;75(14):2949-60. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-3297. Epub , 2015 May 27. PMID:26018085 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-14-3297
- ↑ Shulla A, Heald-Sargent T, Subramanya G, Zhao J, Perlman S, Gallagher T. A transmembrane serine protease is linked to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus receptor and activates virus entry. J Virol. 2011 Jan;85(2):873-82. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02062-10. Epub 2010 Nov 10. PMID:21068237 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02062-10
- ↑ Glowacka I, Bertram S, Muller MA, Allen P, Soilleux E, Pfefferle S, Steffen I, Tsegaye TS, He Y, Gnirss K, Niemeyer D, Schneider H, Drosten C, Pohlmann S. Evidence that TMPRSS2 activates the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein for membrane fusion and reduces viral control by the humoral immune response. J Virol. 2011 May;85(9):4122-34. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02232-10. Epub 2011 Feb 16. PMID:21325420 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02232-10
- ↑ Bertram S, Dijkman R, Habjan M, Heurich A, Gierer S, Glowacka I, Welsch K, Winkler M, Schneider H, Hofmann-Winkler H, Thiel V, Pohlmann S. TMPRSS2 activates the human coronavirus 229E for cathepsin-independent host cell entry and is expressed in viral target cells in the respiratory epithelium. J Virol. 2013 Jun;87(11):6150-60. doi: 10.1128/JVI.03372-12. Epub 2013 Mar 27. PMID:23536651 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.03372-12
- ↑ Abe M, Tahara M, Sakai K, Yamaguchi H, Kanou K, Shirato K, Kawase M, Noda M, Kimura H, Matsuyama S, Fukuhara H, Mizuta K, Maenaka K, Ami Y, Esumi M, Kato A, Takeda M. TMPRSS2 is an activating protease for respiratory parainfluenza viruses. J Virol. 2013 Nov;87(21):11930-5. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01490-13. Epub 2013 Aug 21. PMID:23966399 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01490-13
- ↑ Shirato K, Kawase M, Matsuyama S. Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection mediated by the transmembrane serine protease TMPRSS2. J Virol. 2013 Dec;87(23):12552-61. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01890-13. Epub 2013 Sep 11. PMID:24027332 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.01890-13
- ↑ Heurich A, Hofmann-Winkler H, Gierer S, Liepold T, Jahn O, Pohlmann S. TMPRSS2 and ADAM17 cleave ACE2 differentially and only proteolysis by TMPRSS2 augments entry driven by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein. J Virol. 2014 Jan;88(2):1293-307. doi: 10.1128/JVI.02202-13. Epub 2013 Nov 13. PMID:24227843 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1128/JVI.02202-13
- ↑ Hoffmann M, Kleine-Weber H, Schroeder S, Kruger N, Herrler T, Erichsen S, Schiergens TS, Herrler G, Wu NH, Nitsche A, Muller MA, Drosten C, Pohlmann S. SARS-CoV-2 Cell Entry Depends on ACE2 and TMPRSS2 and Is Blocked by a Clinically Proven Protease Inhibitor. Cell. 2020 Apr 16;181(2):271-280.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.052. Epub 2020, Mar 5. PMID:32142651 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.02.052
- ↑ Zang R, Gomez Castro MF, McCune BT, Zeng Q, Rothlauf PW, Sonnek NM, Liu Z, Brulois KF, Wang X, Greenberg HB, Diamond MS, Ciorba MA, Whelan SPJ, Ding S. TMPRSS2 and TMPRSS4 promote SARS-CoV-2 infection of human small intestinal enterocytes. Sci Immunol. 2020 May 13;5(47). pii: 5/47/eabc3582. doi:, 10.1126/sciimmunol.abc3582. PMID:32404436 doi:https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciimmunol.abc3582
- ↑ Johnson ES, Schwienhorst I, Dohmen RJ, Blobel G. The ubiquitin-like protein Smt3p is activated for conjugation to other proteins by an Aos1p/Uba2p heterodimer. EMBO J. 1997 Sep 15;16(18):5509-19. PMID:9312010 doi:10.1093/emboj/16.18.5509
- ↑ McCallum M, Case JB, Brown JT, Park YJ, Lee J, Sutherland E, Aggarwal A, Gibson C, Lempp FA, Stewart C, Tortorici MA, Sanapala S, Low JS, Asarnow D, Bohan D, Dellota E Jr, Merz B, Chawla B, Kar S, Lanzavecchia A, Sallusto F, Riley NM, Turville S, Purcell L, Diamond MS, Veesler D. TMPRSS2-mediated coronavirus spike activation and inhibition. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2026 May;33(5):810-823. PMID:42050172 doi:10.1038/s41594-026-01801-y
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