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(American Journal of Pathology. 2000;157:2011-2021.)
© 2000 American Society for Investigative Pathology

Regular Articles

Expression and Characterization of Trypsinogen Produced in the Human Male Genital Tract

Annukka Paju^*, Anders Bjartell, Wan-Ming Zhang^*, Stig Nordling, Anders Borgström^§, Jens Hansson and Ulf-Håkan Stenman^*

From the Departments of Clinical Chemistry^*
and Pathology,
Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; and the Departments of Urology
and Surgery,^§
Malmö University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden

Trypsinogen is a serine proteinase produced mainly by the pancreas, but it has recently been found to be expressed also in several cancers such as ovarian and colon cancer and in vascular endothelial cells. In this study, we found that trypsinogen-1 and -2 are present at high concentrations (median levels, 0.4 and 0.5 mg/L, respectively) in human seminal fluid and purified them to homogeneity by immunoaffinity and anion exchange chromatography. Purified trypsinogen isoenzymes displayed a M_r of 25 to 28 kd in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blotting. Most of the trypsinogen-1 purified from seminal fluid was enzymatically active whereas trypsinogen-2 occurred as the proform, which could be activated by enteropeptidase in vitro. Immunohistochemically, trypsinogen protein was detected in the human prostate, urethra, utriculus, ejaculatory duct, seminal vesicles, deferent duct, epididymal glands, and testis. Expression of trypsinogen mRNA in the same organs was demonstrated by in situ hybridization. Trypsinogen mRNA was also detected in the prostate and seminal vesicles by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and Northern blotting. Isolated trypsin was shown to activate the proenzyme form of prostate-specific antigen. These results suggest that trypsinogen isoenzymes found in seminal fluid are produced locally in the male genital tract and that they may play a physiological role in the semen.

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