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TMPRSS2, a novel membrane-anchored mediator in cancer pain

David K Lam1, Dongmin Dang, Andrea N Flynn

  • 1Discipline of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, New York University, New York, NY, USA Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, New York University, New York, NY, USA Department of Applied Oral Sciences, The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.

Pain
|March 4, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) on cancer cells correlates with cancer pain. TMPRSS2 activates neurons, suggesting a new mechanism for cancer pain and general pain.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Neuroscience
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Over half of cancer patients experience significant pain.
  • TMPRSS2, a membrane-bound serine protease, is strategically located on cancer cell surfaces.
  • Its cell surface localization suggests a role in mediating cancer cell signaling.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of TMPRSS2 in cancer pain.
  • To determine the correlation between TMPRSS2 expression and cancer pain severity.
  • To elucidate the mechanism by which TMPRSS2 contributes to pain.

Main Methods:

  • Assessed TMPRSS2 expression in primary cancer tissues.
  • Correlated TMPRSS2 immunopositivity with cancer pain severity in patients.
  • Administered TMPRSS2 into wild-type and PAR2-deficient mouse paws to assess pain response.
  • Cocultured human cancer cells with murine trigeminal neurons.

Main Results:

  • TMPRSS2 expression is significantly increased in primary cancers.
  • TMPRSS2 immunopositivity directly correlates with cancer pain severity.
  • TMPRSS2 administration induced mechanical hyperalgesia in mice by activating trigeminal neurons.
  • This effect was dependent on PAR2, as PAR2-deficient mice showed no response.
  • Colocalization of TMPRSS2 with PAR2 was observed in coculture experiments.

Conclusions:

  • TMPRSS2 is a novel mediator of cancer pain.
  • The TMPRSS2-PAR2 pathway is implicated in cancer pain.
  • This finding suggests a potential therapeutic target for managing cancer pain and possibly other pain conditions.

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