The roles of surfactant proteins A and D in innate immunity

Research over the last decade on the surfactant proteins SP‐A and SP‐D suggests roles beyond surfactant lipid homeostasis, involving their participation in innate immune defence. SP‐A and SP‐D bind and agglutinate an impressive array of non‐self structures, ranging from bacteria and fungi to allerge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Immunological reviews 2000-02, Vol.173 (1), p.66-78
Main Authors: Lawson, Peter R., Reid, Kenneth B. M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Binding Sites
Biological and medical sciences
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Fundamental immunology
General aspects. Ontogeny. Phylogeny
Glycoproteins - chemistry
Glycoproteins - genetics
Glycoproteins - metabolism
Humans
Immunobiology
innate immunity
Lectins - genetics
Lung - immunology
Models, Molecular
Protein Binding
Proteolipids - chemistry
Proteolipids - genetics
Proteolipids - metabolism
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Proteins
Pulmonary Surfactants - chemistry
Pulmonary Surfactants - genetics
Pulmonary Surfactants - metabolism
SP-A protein
SP-D protein
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Summary:Research over the last decade on the surfactant proteins SP‐A and SP‐D suggests roles beyond surfactant lipid homeostasis, involving their participation in innate immune defence. SP‐A and SP‐D bind and agglutinate an impressive array of non‐self structures, ranging from bacteria and fungi to allergens and environmental inorganic substrates. Complementing binding, SP‐A and SP‐D initiate and enhance immune cell ingestion and killing of targets. Recently, some exciting developments have extended and clarified their contributions to innate immunity. Knockout mice for SP‐A and SP‐D have been developed. The SP‐A knockout confirms that SP‐A plays a key role in defence against lung pathogens and reveals the underlying defense mechanisms that require SP‐A. These surfactant proteins have also been shown to have important roles in modulating the immune response, instructing, yet quenching, the immune reactions in the lung. The crystal structure of SP‐D plus functional studies with recombinantly altered forms of SP‐A and SP‐D has begun to characterise the structural motifs responsible for mediating their immune functions. Linkage and polymorphism analysis is explaining the role these genes may play in lung diseases and infection.
ISSN:0105-2896
1600-065X
DOI:10.1034/j.1600-065X.2000.917308.x