scholarly journals Binding of human collectins (SP-A and MBP) to influenza virus

1994 ◽  
Vol 304 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Malhotra ◽  
J S Haurum ◽  
S Thiel ◽  
R B Sim

Collectins are a group of soluble proteins each of which has collagenous domains and non-collagenous globular domains, the latter containing the consensus residues found in C-type lectins. Members of the collectin family are the serum proteins mannan-binding protein (MBP), conglutinin, CL-43, and the lung-associated proteins surfactant protein A (SP-A) and surfactant protein D (SP-D). MBP and conglutinin have been shown previously to bind to influenza viruses and to inhibit the infectivity and haemagglutinating activity of influenza viruses. We report here that the lung protein SP-A, like MBP, can bind to influenza virus (strain A/X31) through its lectin domain and inhibit the virus-mediated agglutination of red cells. The binding of SP-A or MBP to influenza virus was saturable, concentration-dependent, and required the presence of Ca2+ ions. Ligand-blot analysis, using MBP as ligand, of the virus lysate indicated that MBP binds to a 68 kDa viral species. The 68 kDa species was isolated to homogeneity and was shown to be the viral neuraminidase. The purified 68 kDa species inhibited the binding of both MBP and SP-A to influenza virus.

1994 ◽  
Vol 300 (1) ◽  
pp. 237-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Miyamura ◽  
L E A Leigh ◽  
J Lu ◽  
J Hopkin ◽  
A López Bernal ◽  
...  

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a lung-specific protein, synthesized and secreted by lung epithelial cells. It belongs to group III of the family of C-type lectins; each member of this group has an unusual overall structure consisting of multiple globular ‘head’ regions (which contain the C-type lectin domains) linked by triple-helical, collagen-like, strands. This group includes the surfactant protein A (SP-A) and the serum proteins mannan-binding protein, conglutinin and collectin-43, all of which have been shown to bind to the C1q receptor found on a wide variety of cells, including macrophages. Both SP-D and SP-A have been shown to enhance oxygen radical production by alveolar macrophages. Although this strongly suggests a direct interaction between SP-D and a specific receptor on alveolar macrophages, it is still unclear whether SP-D binds to the same receptor used by SP-A and/or C1q. Human SP-D was isolated from amniotic fluid and was radiolabelled using 125I. Alveolar macrophages were isolated from human bronchioalveolar lavage fluid, and also from bovine lung washings, by differential adhesion to 24-well tissue-culture plates. The study was carried out using EDTA-containing buffers, to eliminate Ca(2+)-dependent C-type lectin binding, and was also carried out at 4 degrees C to eliminate possible internalization by the cells. 125I-SP-D showed specific binding to alveolar macrophages in both a time- and concentration-saturable manner. The binding was inhibited, by approx. 90%, on addition of a 200-fold excess of unlabelled SP-D. The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) was (3.6 +/- 1.3) x 10(-11) M, based on the assumption that native SP-D is assembled as a dodecamer of 12 identical polypeptides of 43 kDa to yield a protein of 516 kDa. C1q was also shown to bind alveolar macrophages (Kd 3 x 10(-6) M), but addition of C1q did not show inhibition of the binding of 125I-SP-D to the macrophages. We conclude that SP-D binds specifically to alveolar macrophages and the receptor involved is different from that utilized by C1q.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (4) ◽  
pp. L875-L882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Tokieda ◽  
Jeffrey A. Whitsett ◽  
Jean C. Clark ◽  
Timothy E. Weaver ◽  
Kazushige Ikeda ◽  
...  

Pulmonary function was assessed in newborn wild-type and homozygous and heterozygous surfactant protein B (SP-B)-deficient mice after birth. SP-B+/+ and SP-B+/− mice became well oxygenated and survived postnatally. Although lung compliance was decreased slightly in the SP-B+/− mice, lung volumes and compliances were decreased markedly in homozygous SP-B−/− mice. They died rapidly after birth, failing to inflate their lungs or oxygenate. SP-B proprotein was absent in the SP-B−/− mice and was reduced in the SP-B+/− mice, as assessed by Western analysis. Surfactant protein A, surfactant proprotein C, surfactant protein D, and surfactant phospholipid content in lungs from SP-B+/− and SP-B−/− mice were not altered. Lung saturated phosphatidylcholine and precursor incorporation into saturated phosphatidylcholine were not influenced by SP-B genotype. Intratracheal administration of perfluorocarbon resulted in lung expansion, oxygenation, and prolonged survival of SP-B−/− mice and in reduced lung compliance in SP-B+/+ and SP-B+/− mice. Lack of SP-B caused respiratory failure at birth, and decreased SP-B protein was associated with reduced lung compliance. These findings demonstrate the critical role of SP-B in perinatal adaptation to air breathing.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (5) ◽  
pp. L790-L798 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy T. Watford ◽  
Andrew J. Ghio ◽  
Jo Rae Wright

Complement is a system of plasma proteins that aids in the elimination of pathogens from the body. We hypothesized that there is a functional complement system present in the lung that aids in the removal of pathogens. Western blot analysis revealed complement proteins of the alternative and classical pathways of complement in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) from healthy volunteers. Functional classical pathway activity was detected in human BALF, but there was no significant alternative pathway activity in lavage fluid, a finding that correlates with the low level of the alternative pathway protein, factor B, in these samples. Although the classical pathway of complement was functional in lavage fluid, the level of the classical pathway activator C1q was very low. We tested the ability of the lung- specific surfactant proteins, surfactant protein A (SP-A) and surfactant protein D (SP-D), to substitute for C1q in classical pathway activation, since they have structural homology to C1q. However, neither SP-A nor SP-D restored classical pathway activity to C1q-depleted serum. These data suggest that the classical pathway of complement is functionally active in the lung where it may play a role in the recognition and clearance of bacteria.


1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (1) ◽  
pp. L1-L13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Mason ◽  
Kelly Greene ◽  
Dennis R. Voelker

Surfactant protein (SP) A and SP-D are collagenous glycoproteins with multiple functions in the lung. Both of these proteins are calcium-dependent lectins and are structurally similar to mannose-binding protein and bovine conglutinin. Both form polyvalent multimeric structures for interactions with pathogens, cells, or other molecules. SP-A is an integral part of the surfactant system, binds phospholipids avidly, and is found in lamellar bodies and tubular myelin. Initially, most research interest focused on its role in surfactant homeostasis. Recently, more attention has been placed on the role of SP-A as a host defense molecule and its interactions with pathogens and phagocytic cells. SP-D is much less involved with the surfactant system. SP-D appears to be primarily a host defense molecule that binds surfactant phospholipids poorly and is not found in lamellar inclusion bodies or tubular myelin. Both SP-A and SP-D bind a wide spectrum of pathogens including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and pneumocystis. In addition, both molecules have been measured in the systemic circulation by immunologic methods and may be useful biomarkers of disease. The current challenges are characterization of the three-dimensional crystal structure of SP-A and SP-D, molecular cloning of their receptors, and determination of their precise physiological functions in vivo.


2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 143-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara A. Seaton ◽  
Erika C. Crouch ◽  
Francis X. McCormack ◽  
James F. Head ◽  
Kevan L. Hartshorn ◽  
...  

Host defense roles for the lung collectins, surfactant protein A (SP-A) and surfactant protein D (SP-D), were first suspected in the 1980s when molecular characterization revealed their sequence homology to the acute phase reactant of serum, mannose-binding lectin. Surfactant protein A and SP-D have since been shown to play diverse and important roles in innate immunity and pulmonary homeostasis. Their location in surfactant ideally positions them to interact with air-space pathogens. Despite extensive structural similarity, the two proteins show many functional differences and considerable divergence in their interactions with microbial surface components, surfactant lipids, and other ligands. Recent crystallographic studies have provided many new insights relating to these observed differences. Although both proteins can participate in calcium-dependent interactions with sugars and other polyols, they display significant differences in the spatial orientation, charge, and hydrophobicity of their binding surfaces. Surfactant protein D appears particularly adapted to interactions with complex carbohydrates and anionic phospholipids, such as phosphatidylinositol. By contrast, SP-A shows features consistent with its preference for lipid ligands, including lipid A and the major surfactant lipid, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine. Current research suggests that structural biology approaches will help to elucidate the molecular basis of pulmonary collectin—ligand recognition and facilitate development of new therapeutics based upon SP-A and SP-D.


2009 ◽  
Vol 77 (7) ◽  
pp. 2783-2794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scarlett Geunes-Boyer ◽  
Timothy N. Oliver ◽  
Guilhem Janbon ◽  
Jennifer K. Lodge ◽  
Joseph Heitman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Cryptococcus neoformans is a facultative intracellular opportunistic pathogen and the leading cause of fungal meningitis in humans. In the absence of a protective cellular immune response, the inhalation of C. neoformans cells or spores results in pulmonary infection. C. neoformans cells produce a polysaccharide capsule composed predominantly of glucuronoxylomannan, which constitutes approximately 90% of the capsular material. In the lungs, surfactant protein A (SP-A) and SP-D contribute to immune defense by facilitating the aggregation, uptake, and killing of many microorganisms by phagocytic cells. We hypothesized that SP-D plays a role in C. neoformans pathogenesis by binding to and enhancing the phagocytosis of the yeast. Here, the abilities of SP-D to bind to and facilitate the phagocytosis and survival of the wild-type encapsulated strain H99 and the cap59Δ mutant hypocapsular strain are assessed. SP-D binding to cap59Δ mutant cells was approximately sixfold greater than binding to wild-type cells. SP-D enhanced the phagocytosis of cap59Δ cells by approximately fourfold in vitro. To investigate SP-D binding in vivo, SP-D−/− mice were intranasally inoculated with Alexa Fluor 488-labeled cap59Δ or H99 cells. By confocal microscopy, a greater number of phagocytosed C. neoformans cells in wild-type mice than in SP-D−/− mice was observed, consistent with in vitro data. Interestingly, SP-D protected C. neoformans cells against macrophage-mediated defense mechanisms in vitro, as demonstrated by an analysis of fungal viability using a CFU assay. These findings provide evidence that C. neoformans subverts host defense mechanisms involving surfactant, establishing a novel virulence paradigm that may be targeted for therapy.


Genomics ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 294-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konrad Kölble ◽  
Jinhua Lu ◽  
Sara E. Mole ◽  
Stefan Kaluz ◽  
Kenneth B.M. Reid

1992 ◽  
Vol 286 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
J F Van Iwaarden ◽  
H Shimizu ◽  
P H M Van Golde ◽  
D R Voelker ◽  
L M G Van Golde

Rat surfactant protein D (SP-D) was shown to enhance the production of oxygen radicals by rat alveolar macrophages. This enhancement, which was determined by a lucigenin-dependent chemiluminescence assay, was maximal after 18 min at an SP-D concentration of 0.2 micrograms/ml. Surfactant lipids did not influence the stimulation of alveolar macrophages by SP-D, whereas the oxygen-radical production of these cells induced by surfactant protein A was inhibited by the lipids in a concentration-dependent manner.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document