Klk8, a multifunctional protease in the brain and skin: analysis of knockout mice.

Klk8 is a tryptic serine protease with limited substrate specificity. Klk8 mRNA is expressed in many developing organs, whereas its expression is confined to limited regions, including the hippocampus, in adults. In the hippocampus, Klk8 is involved in activity-dependent synaptic changes such as long-term potentiation, which was found to be suppressed in Klk8 knockout (KO) mice. Oligodendrocytes only expressed Klk8 mRNA after injury to the central nervous system. The epidermis of the skin is one of the tissues that exhibits a high level of KLK8 expression. Klk8 might be involved in desquamation through the degradation of adhesive molecules that connect layers of the epidermis. Klk8 might thus be involved in tissue development and rearrangement.