The human BPI (bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein), stored in primary azurophilic granula of neutrophil granulocytes and produced by mucosal epithelia, has been known for decades to bind LPS (lipopolysaccharide) with very high affinity and to efficiently kill Gram-negative bacteria. Thus BPI potentially represents a central component of the innate immune system to directly combat microbes and modulate subsequent adaptive immune responses. Especially in the lungs, which are frequently exposed to a variety of inhaled pathogens, antimicrobial innate defence molecules such as BPI, are of exceptional relevance. In the present review, we highlight possible functions of BPI during acute pneumonia and CF (cystic fibrosis)-associated chronic infections in the lung.
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August 2011
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Conference Article|
July 20 2011
The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) in the innate defence of the lower airways
Alexander Holweg
;
Alexander Holweg
*Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Markus Schnare
;
Markus Schnare
†Institut für Immunologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hans Meerweinstrasse 2, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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André Gessner
André Gessner
1
*Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauss-Allee 11, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email andre.gessner@klinik.uni-regensburg.de).
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Biochem Soc Trans (2011) 39 (4): 1045–1050.
Article history
Received:
January 17 2011
Citation
Alexander Holweg, Markus Schnare, André Gessner; The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) in the innate defence of the lower airways. Biochem Soc Trans 1 August 2011; 39 (4): 1045–1050. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0391045
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