A murine antibacterial ortholog to human bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is expressed in testis, epididymis, and bone marrow
- 8 December 2004
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Leukocyte Biology
- Vol. 77 (3), 369-377
- https://doi.org/10.1189/jlb.0304159
Abstract
The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), stored in human neutrophil granulocytes, is cytotoxic against Gram-negative bacteria. Several genes related to BPI cluster on human chromosome 20 and on mouse chromosome 2, but expression and characterization of a BPI ortholog in the mouse have not been reported. We asked whether BPI is structurally and functionally conserved between humans and mice and whether murine BPI might be synthesized in neutrophils as well as in other tissues. We report the isolation of a murine full-length cDNA encoding a 54-kDa protein, showing 53% amino acid identity and 71% similarity, to human BPI. The murine BPI and human BPI genes show a similar exon-intron organization. Murine BPI mRNA was detected in testis, epididymis, and bone marrow, as well as in Sertoli and promyelocytic cell lines. Although levels of BPI mRNA in human and murine testis were comparable, expression in murine bone marrow cells was low as compared with that in human bone marrow. BPI protein showed a cytoplasmic, granular localization in mature neutrophils. BPI gene expression in Sertoli and promyelocytic cells was enhanced several-fold by all-trans retinoic acid. Overexpression of murine BPI in human embryonic kidney 293 cells resulted in antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, comparable with that obtained with human BPI. In conclusion, it was demonstrated that mouse neutrophils store BPI with antibacterial activity and that murine BPI is also expressed in testis and epididymis.Keywords
Funding Information
- Swedish Research Council (#11546)
- Swedish Cancer Foundation
- Georg Danielsson Foundation
- Greta and Johan Kock Foundation
- Österlund Foundation
- Lundberg Foundation
- Swedish Royal Physiographic Society
This publication has 46 references indexed in Scilit:
- Mouse bone marrow contains large numbers of functionally competent neutrophilsJournal of Leukocyte Biology, 2003
- Processing of Seminal Plasma hCAP-18 to ALL-38 by GastricsinOnline Journal of Public Health Informatics, 2003
- Bactericidal/Permeability-Increasing Protein Is Expressed by Human Dermal Fibroblasts and Upregulated by Interleukin 4Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, 2003
- Bactericidal/permeability‐increasing protein promotes complement activation for neutrophil‐mediated phagocytosis on bacterial surfaceImmunology, 2001
- The Human Cationic Antimicrobial Protein (hCAP-18) Is Expressed in the Epithelium of Human Epididymis, Is Present in Seminal Plasma at High Concentrations, and Is Attached to SpermatozoaInfection and Immunity, 2000
- Differential Display Identification of plunc, a Novel Gene Expressed in Embryonic Palate, Nasal Epithelium, and Adult LungOnline Journal of Public Health Informatics, 1999
- Mechanisms of Action of the Bactericidal/Permeability-Increasing Protein BPI on Endotoxin and Phospholipid Monolayers and AggregatesBiochemistry, 1997
- Integration of antimicrobial host defenses: role of the bactericidal/permeability-increasing proteinTrends in Microbiology, 1994
- Separation of sublethal and lethal effects of polymorphonuclear leukocytes on Escherichia coli.JCI Insight, 1990
- Establishment and Characterization of Two Distinct Mouse Testicular Epithelial Cell LineBiology of Reproduction, 1980