Takezaki, A., Kitamura, A., Setoguchi, Y., Itoh, Y., Ledford, J., Goto, H., Nishioka, Y., & Yasutomo, K. (2017). Notch-mediated necroptosis due to a mutation in SFTPA1 is a crucial driver for pulmonary fibrosis.. Nature Immunology.
Ledford, J. G., Addison, K. J., Foster, M. W., & Que, L. G. (2014). Eosinophil-associated lung diseases. A cry for surfactant proteins A and D help?. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 51(5), 604-14.
Surfactant proteins (SP)-A and SP-D (SP-A/-D) play important roles in numerous eosinophil-dominated diseases, including asthma, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and allergic rhinitis. In these settings, SP-A/-D have been shown to modulate eosinophil chemotaxis, inhibit eosinophil mediator release, and mediate macrophage clearance of apoptotic eosinophils. Dysregulation of SP-A/-D function in eosinophil-dominated diseases is also not uncommon. Alterations in serum SP-A/-D levels are associated with disease severity in allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Furthermore, oligimerization of SP-A/-D, necessary for their proper function, can be perturbed by reactive nitrogen species, which are increased in eosinophilic disease. In this review, we highlight the associations of eosinophilic lung diseases with SP-A and SP-D levels and functions.
Ogawa, H., Ledford, J. G., Mukherjee, S., Aono, Y., Nishioka, Y., Lee, J. J., Izumi, K., & Hollingsworth, J. W. (2014). Surfactant protein D attenuates sub-epithelial fibrosis in allergic airways disease through TGF-β. Respiratory research, 15, 143.
Surfactant protein D (SP-D) can regulate both innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, SP-D has been shown to contribute to the pathogenesis of airway allergic inflammation and bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. However, in allergic airways disease, the role of SP-D in airway remodeling remains unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of functional SP-D in regulating sub-epithelial fibrosis in a mouse chronic house dust mite model of allergic airways disease.
Kummarapurugu, A., Ledford, J., Karandashova, S., & Voynow, J. (2017). High-Mobility Group Box 1 Upregulates Muc5AC and Muc5B Expression in Primary Airway Epithelial Cells. American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
Aono, Y., Ledford, J. G., Mukherjee, S., Ogawa, H., Nishioka, Y., Sone, S., Beers, M. F., Noble, P. W., & Wright, J. R. (2012). Surfactant protein-D regulates effector cell function and fibrotic lung remodeling in response to bleomycin injury. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 185(5), 525-36.
Surfactant protein (SP)-D and SP-A have been implicated in immunomodulation in the lung. It has been reported that patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) often have elevated serum levels of SP-A and SP-D, although their role in the disease is not known.
