title: Plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 deficiency does not influence the outcome of murine pneumococcal pneumonia.
abstract: Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor uPAR are components of the fibrinolytic system and are important for an adequate immune response to respiratory tract infection, in part through their role in the migration of inflammatory cells. PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the predominant inhibitor of soluble and receptor-bound uPA. To determine the role of PAI-1 in host defense against pneumococcal pneumonia, the following studies were performed: (1) Patients with unilateral community-acquired pneumonia demonstrated elevated PAI-1 concentrations together with decreased PA activity in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) obtained from the infected, but not from the contralateral, site. (2) Mice with Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia displayed elevated PAI-1 protein and mRNA levels in their lungs. (3) PAI-1 gene-deficient mice, however, had an unaltered immune response to pneumococcal pneumonia, as measured by cell recruitment into lungs, bacterial outgrowth, and survival. Furthermore, plasminogen-gene-deficient mice also had an unremarkable defense against pneumococcal pneumonia. These data indicate that pneumonia is associated with inhibition of the fibrinolytic system at the site of the infection secondary to increased production of PAI-1; an intact fibrinolytic response is not required for an adequate host response to respiratory tract infection, however, suggesting that the previously described role of uPA and uPAR are restricted to their function in cell migration.
authors.affiliation: Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, F4-222, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands. a.w.rijneveld@amc.uva.nl
authors.forename: Anita W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Rijneveld
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Florquin
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bresser
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Waard
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lijnen
authors.forename: Jaring S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Van Der Zee
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Speelman
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carmeliet
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Van Der Poll
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002634:Chemotaxis, Leukocyte; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D006801:Humans; D007109:Immunity; D007962:Leukocytes / Q000166:cytology; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008875:Middle Aged; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000276:immunology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D012333:RNA, Messenger