Center Esther Koplowitz, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.
Pharmacol Rev. 2011 Dec;63(4):967-1000. doi: 10.1124/pr.111.004523. Epub 2011 Aug 31.
The scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) superfamily of soluble or membrane-bound protein receptors is characterized by the presence of one or several repeats of an ancient and highly conserved protein module, the SRCR domain. This superfamily (SRCR-SF) has been in constant and progressive expansion, now up to more than 30 members. The study of these members is attracting growing interest, which parallels that in innate immunity. No unifying function has been described to date for the SRCR domains, this being the result of the limited knowledge still available on the physiology of most members of the SRCR-SF, but also of the sequence versatility of the SRCR domains. Indeed, involvement of SRCR-SF members in quite different functions, such as pathogen recognition, modulation of the immune response, epithelial homeostasis, stem cell biology, and tumor development, have all been described. This has brought to us new information, unveiling the possibility that targeting or supplementing SRCR-SF proteins could result in diagnostic and/or therapeutic benefit for a number of physiologic and pathologic states. Recent research has provided structural and functional insight into these proteins, facilitating the development of means to modulate the activity of SRCR-SF members. Indeed, some of these approaches are already in use, paving the way for a more comprehensive use of SRCR-SF members in the clinic. The present review will illustrate some available evidence on the potential of well known and new members of the SRCR-SF in this regard.
清道夫受体富含半胱氨酸（SRCR）超家族是一类可溶性或膜结合蛋白受体，其特征是具有一个或多个古老且高度保守的蛋白模块——SRCR 结构域的重复序列。这个超家族（SRCR-SF）一直在不断扩张和进化，目前已经有超过 30 个成员。对这些成员的研究越来越受到关注，这与先天免疫的研究趋势相吻合。到目前为止，还没有描述出 SRCR 结构域的统一功能，这是由于对 SRCR-SF 大多数成员的生理学仍然缺乏了解，也由于 SRCR 结构域的序列多样性。事实上，SRCR-SF 成员参与了截然不同的功能，如病原体识别、免疫反应的调节、上皮细胞稳态、干细胞生物学和肿瘤发展等，都已经被描述过。这为我们提供了新的信息，揭示了靶向或补充 SRCR-SF 蛋白可能会对许多生理和病理状态产生诊断和/或治疗益处的可能性。最近的研究为这些蛋白质提供了结构和功能方面的见解，促进了调节 SRCR-SF 成员活性的方法的发展。事实上，其中一些方法已经在使用，为更全面地在临床上使用 SRCR-SF 成员铺平了道路。本文综述将举例说明 SRCR-SF 中一些已知和新成员在这方面的潜力。
