Epithelial Integrity Is Maintained by a Matriptase-Dependent Proteolytic Pathway

The study demonstrated that matriptase, a transmembrane serine protease encoded by the St14 gene, was essential for maintaining epithelial integrity across various tissues in mice. Conditional deletion of the St14 gene led to severe organ dysfunction, increased permeability, loss of tight junction function, mislocation of tight junction-associated proteins, and generalized epithelial demise. These findings highlighted the critical role of matriptase in epithelial homeostasis and provided a valuable animal model for further exploration of its physiological and pathological roles.