Hepsin is a type II membrane-associated protein that has an extracellular proteolytic domain and exhibits low sequence homology to other known proteases (1,2).
Hepsin overexpression is observed in the prostate, breast, kidney, and ovarian cancers and due to low homology to other known proteases may provide a unique target for pharmacological therapy (3-7).
Hepsin is necessary for cell growth in vitro and may play a role in metastatic expansion for Factor VII activation (6,9).
The observed molecular mass of hepsin by immunoblotting is 45.3kD.
Cloning and characterization of murine and rat hepsin indicate 88% overall homology with human hepsin (10-12).
Northern blotting reveals high levels of hepsin transcripts in liver (2,7).
Applications:Suitable for use in ELISA, Western Blot and Immunohistochemistry.