Chen Lihe, Zhang Wenzheng
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, USA.
Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical School, USA.
Austin J Nephrol Hypertens. 2014;1(4). Epub 2014 Oct 10.
It is well known that kidney α-intercalated cells can acidify the urine and acidified urine can inhibit bacterial growth and other urinary organisms. However, regulation of acid-base balance rather than a dedicated function in preventing urinary tract infection has been assigned to α-intercalated cells. A series of studies, culminated by the publication of a paper (J Clin Invest. 2014 Jul 1;124(7):2963-76) from Dr. Barasch's lab unearthed a novel mechanism by which α-intercalated cells function in the innate immune defense of urinary tract infection. This mechanism involves production and release of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin by α-intercalated cells to chelate the siderophore containing host iron to achieve bacteriostasis.
众所周知，肾脏α-闰细胞可使尿液酸化，而酸化的尿液能够抑制细菌及其他泌尿微生物的生长。然而，α-闰细胞的功能主要是调节酸碱平衡，而非专门用于预防尿路感染。巴拉施博士实验室发表的一篇论文（《临床研究杂志》，2014年7月1日；124(7):2963 - 2976）汇总了一系列研究，揭示了α-闰细胞在尿路感染固有免疫防御中发挥作用的一种新机制。该机制涉及α-闰细胞产生并释放中性粒细胞明胶酶相关脂质运载蛋白，以螯合含有宿主铁的铁载体，从而实现抑菌作用。
