PRSS16 explained

Thymus-specific serine protease is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the PRSS16 gene.^{[1] [2]}

This gene encodes a serine protease expressed exclusively in the thymus. It is thought to play a role in the alternative antigen presenting pathway used by cortical thymic epithelial cells during the positive selection of T cells.

The gene is found in the large histone gene cluster on chromosome 6, near the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I region. A second transcript variant has been described, but its full length nature has not been determined.

Further reading

• Lie BA, Viken MK, Akselsen HE, etal . Association analysis in type 1 diabetes of the PRSS16 gene encoding a thymus-specific serine protease . Hum. Immunol. . 68 . 7 . 592–8 . 2007 . 17584581 . 10.1016/j.humimm.2007.03.009 .
• Luther C, Wienhold W, Oehlmann R, etal . Alternatively spliced transcripts of the thymus-specific protease PRSS16 are differentially expressed in human thymus . Genes Immun. . 6 . 1 . 1–7 . 2005 . 15592422 . 10.1038/sj.gene.6364142 . free .
• Ota T, Suzuki Y, Nishikawa T, etal . Complete sequencing and characterization of 21,243 full-length human cDNAs . Nat. Genet. . 36 . 1 . 40–5 . 2004 . 14702039 . 10.1038/ng1285 . free .
• Mungall AJ, Palmer SA, Sims SK, etal . The DNA sequence and analysis of human chromosome 6 . Nature . 425 . 6960 . 805–11 . 2003 . 14574404 . 10.1038/nature02055 . free .
• Lie BA, Akselsen HE, Bowlus CL, etal . Polymorphisms in the gene encoding thymus-specific serine protease in the extended HLA complex: a potential candidate gene for autoimmune and HLA-associated diseases . Genes Immun. . 3 . 5 . 306–12 . 2003 . 12140752 . 10.1038/sj.gene.6363858 . free .
• Gruen JR, Nalabolu SR, Chu TW, etal . A transcription map of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I region . Genomics . 36 . 1 . 70–85 . 1997 . 8812418 . 10.1006/geno.1996.0427 . free .

Notes and References

1. Bowlus CL, Ahn J, Chu T, Gruen JR . Cloning of a novel MHC-encoded serine peptidase highly expressed by cortical epithelial cells of the thymus . Cellular Immunology . 196 . 2 . 80–6 . Nov 1999 . 10527559 . 10.1006/cimm.1999.1543 .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: PRSS16 protease, serine, 16 (thymus).