Control of lung defence by mucins and macrophages: ancient defence mechanisms with modern functions
Year: 2016
Type: review
Abstract: Owing to the need to balance the requirement for efficient respiration in the face of tremendous levels of exposure to endogenous and environmental challenges, it is crucial for the lungs to maintain a sustainable defence that minimises damage caused by this exposure and the detrimental effects of inflammation to delicate gas exchange surfaces. Accordingly, epithelial and macrophage defences constitute essential first and second lines of protection that prevent the accumulation of potentially harmful agents in the lungs, and under homeostatic conditions do so effectively without inducing inflammation. Though epithelial and macrophage-mediated defences are seemingly distinct, recent data show that they are linked through their shared reliance on airway mucins, in particular the polymeric mucin MUC5B. This review highlights our understanding of novel mechanisms that link mucus and macrophage defences. We discuss the roles of phagocytosis and the effects of factors contained within mucus on phagocytosis, as well as newly identified roles for mucin glycoproteins in the direct regulation of leukocyte functions. The emergence of this nascent field of glycoimmunobiology sets forth a new paradigm for considering how homeostasis is maintained under healthy conditions and how it is restored in disease.
Source: European Respiratory Journal
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Awards: G1034611465, G1224971444, G1230872813, G1539080929, G2148445845, G2158631255, G2447516788, Fungal Exposure and the Respiratory Tract Microbiome, G3305557372, G3506483966, Targeting Siglec-8/-F to treat eosinophil and mast cell related disorders, Glycobiology of Inflammatory Lung Diseases, G3707771991, G3954174824, G4079141762, G461698715, G4958339534, G579151538, G663223718, G8293067251, G9000007245, G9000175422, G9000288039, G9000343067, Role of mucin in lung homeostasis and pathophysiology
OpenAlex ID: W2511765640