Laboratory of Immunobiology, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
Front Immunol. 2021 Dec 14;12:803244. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.803244. eCollection 2021.
Alpha-2-macroglobulin is an extracellular macromolecule mainly known for its role as a broad-spectrum protease inhibitor. By presenting itself as an optimal substrate for endopeptidases of all catalytic types, alpha-2-macroglobulin lures active proteases into its molecular cage and subsequently 'flags' their complex for elimination. In addition to its role as a regulator of extracellular proteolysis, alpha-2-macroglobulin also has other functions such as switching proteolysis towards small substrates, facilitating cell migration and the binding of cytokines, growth factors and damaged extracellular proteins. These functions appear particularly important in the context of immune-cell function. In this review manuscript, we provide an overview of all functions of alpha-2-macroglobulin and place these in the context of inflammation, immunity and infections.
α-2-巨球蛋白是一种细胞外的大分子，主要因其作为广谱蛋白酶抑制剂的作用而闻名。α-2-巨球蛋白通过将自身呈现为所有催化类型的内肽酶的最佳底物，诱使活性蛋白酶进入其分子笼中，随后“标记”其复合物以进行清除。除了作为细胞外蛋白水解调节因子的作用外，α-2-巨球蛋白还具有其他功能，如将蛋白水解作用转向小底物，促进细胞迁移以及细胞因子、生长因子和受损细胞外蛋白的结合。这些功能在免疫细胞功能的背景下显得尤为重要。在这篇综述手稿中，我们概述了α-2-巨球蛋白的所有功能，并将这些功能置于炎症、免疫和感染的背景下进行讨论。
