Lung surfactant and reactive oxygen-nitrogen species: antimicrobial activity and host-pathogen interactions

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology Vol. 281; no. 3; pp. 517 - L523
• Main Authors: Hickman-Davis, Judy M, Fang, Ferric C, Nathan, Carl, Shepherd, Virginia L, Voelker, Dennis R, Wright, Jo Rae
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.09.2001
• Subjects: Animals; Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; Fungi - physiology; Humans; Lung - microbiology; Nitric Oxide - physiology; Pulmonary Surfactants - physiology; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Virus Physiological Phenomena
• ISSN: 1040-0605; 1522-1504
• DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.2001.281.3.L517

1  Department of Anesthesiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35249; 2  Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver 80262; 5  Department of Medicine, National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Denver, Colorado 80206; 3  Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, New York 10021; 4  Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37212; and 6  Department of Cell Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710 Surfactant protein (SP) A and SP-D are members of the collectin superfamily. They are widely distributed within the lung, are capable of antigen recognition, and can discern self versus nonself. SPs recognize bacteria, fungi, and viruses by binding mannose and N -acetylglucosamine residues on microbial cell walls. SP-A has been shown to stimulate the respiratory burst as well as nitric oxide synthase expression by alveolar macrophages. Although nitric oxide (NO·) is a well-recognized microbicidal product of macrophages, the mechanism(s) by which NO· contributes to host defense remains undefined. The purpose of this symposium was to present current research pertaining to the specific role of SPs and reactive oxygen-nitrogen species in innate immunity. The symposium focused on the mechanisms of NO·-mediated toxicity for bacterial, human, and animal models of SP-A- and NO·-mediated pathogen killing, microbial defense mechanisms against reactive oxygen-nitrogen species, specific examples and signaling pathways involved in the SP-A-mediated killing of pulmonary pathogens, the structure and binding of SP-A and SP-D to bacterial targets, and the immunoregulatory functions of SP-A. collectins; surfactant protein A; nitric oxide; peroxynitrite; innate immunity; macrophages; signal transduction