Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2002 Oct;45(10):963-968.

Expression of Collectin in the Human Nasal Mucosa

• Hwang SJ
• Choi JH
• Lee SH
• Lee JY
• Hwang YJ
• Lee HM

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Collectins (surfactant protein A and D) are proteins with collagen tails and globular lectin domains that appear to play an important role in the first line of host defense in mammalians. However, it is not known if collectins are also present in human nasal mucosa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of collectin proteins in human nasal mucosa and to compare the expressions of SP-A and D mRNA in the normal nasal mucosa and in chronic inflammatory nasal diseases. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Ten chronic rhinosinusitis patients were recruited and ten normal nasal mucosae were used as normal controls. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to detect SP-A and SP-D mRNA. The level of collectin and GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) transcripts were semi-quantified with the desitometry. We have characterized the cellular localization of SP-A and SP-D protein using immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS
SP-A2/GAPDH mRNA ratio in chronic rhinitis nasal mucosa is greater compared with that in normal nasal mucosa (p<0.05). SP-A protein was expressed in the nasal epithelium and in the epithelial cells of the submucosal glands. SP-D mRNA and protein were not expressed in the nasal mucosa.
CONCLUSION
These data provide the first evidence of the presence of collectins in the human nasal mucosa. These results suggested that up-regulation of collectin in chronic rhinosinusitis may be a protective response for the nasal mucosa.

Keyword

Sinusitis; Pulmonary surfactant; Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); Immunohisto-chemistry

MeSH Terms

Collagen
Collectins*
Epithelial Cells
Humans*
Immunohistochemistry
Nasal Mucosa*
Nose Diseases
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D
Pulmonary Surfactants
Rhinitis
RNA, Messenger
Sinusitis
Staphylococcal Protein A
Up-Regulation
Collagen
Collectins
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A
Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D
Pulmonary Surfactants
RNA, Messenger
Staphylococcal Protein A