Journal
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 17, Issue 11, Pages 1505-1512Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxh328
Keywords
human; monocyte/macrophage; neutrophil
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Man has been found to produce highly conserved chitinases. The most prominent is the phagocyte-derived chitotriosidase, the plasma levels of which are markedly elevated in some pathological conditions. Here, we report that both polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and macrophages (m phi) are a source of chitotriosidase. The enzyme is located in specific granules of human PMNs and secreted following stimulation with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). In addition, GM-CSF induces expression of chitotriosidase in m phi that constitutively secrete the enzyme and partly accumulate it in their lysosomes. Studies with recombinant human chitotriosidase revealed that the enzyme targets chitin-containing fungi. These findings are consistent with earlier observations concerning anti-fungal activity of homologous plant chitinases and beneficial effects of GM-CSF administration in individuals suffering from invasive fungal infections. In conclusion, chitotriosidase should be viewed as a component of the innate immunity that may play a role in defence against chitin-containing pathogens and the expression and release of which by human phagocytes is highly regulated.
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