title: The Ribonuclease A Superfamily in Humans: Canonical RNases as the Buttress of Innate Immunity.
abstract: In humans, the ribonuclease A (RNase A) superfamily contains eight different members that have RNase activities, and all of these members are encoded on chromosome 14. The proteins are secreted by a large variety of different tissues and cells; however, a comprehensive understanding of these proteins' physiological roles is lacking. Different biological effects can be attributed to each protein, including antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal activities as well as cytotoxic effects against host cells and parasites. Different immunomodulatory effects have also been demonstrated. This review summarizes the available data on the human RNase A superfamily and illustrates the significant role of the eight canonical RNases in inflammation and the host defence system against infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care and Intermediate Care, University Hospital Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany. pkoczera@ukaachen.de.|Department for Experimental Molecular Imaging, University Hospital RWTH Aachen and Helmholtz Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen 52074, Germany. pkoczera@ukaachen.de.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koczera
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care and Intermediate Care, University Hospital Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany. lmartin@ukaachen.de.
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care and Intermediate Care, University Hospital Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany. gmarx@ukaachen.de.
authors.forename: Gernot
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Marx
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care and Intermediate Care, University Hospital Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) Aachen, Aachen 52074, Germany. tschuerholz@ukaachen.de.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schuerholz
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008954:Models, Biological; D005810:Multigene Family; D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012259:Ribonuclease, Pancreatic
keywords: antimicrobial activity; canonical RNases; host defence protein; human RNases; secreted RNases