Uroplakin-1a
cell surface
Surfactant Protein A Inhibits Growth and Adherence of Uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> To Protect the Bladder from Infection.
Surfactant protein A (SP-A) is a multifunctional host defense collectin that was first identified as a component of pulmonary surfactant. Although SP-A is also expressed in various tissues, including the urinary tract, its innate immune functions in nonpulmonary tissues are poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that adherence of uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> (UPEC) to the bladder was enhanced in SP-A-deficient mice, which suggests that SP-A plays an important role in innate immunity against UPEC. To understand the innate immune functions of SP-A in detail, we performed in vitro experiments. SP-A directly bound to UPEC in a Ca<sup>2+</sup>-dependent manner, but it did not agglutinate UPEC. Our results suggest that a bouquet-like arrangement seems unsuitable to agglutinate UPEC. Meanwhile, SP-A inhibited growth of UPEC in human urine. Furthermore, the binding of SP-A to UPEC decreased the adherence of bacteria to urothelial cells. These results indicate that direct action of SP-A on UPEC is important in host defense against UPEC. Additionally, adhesion of UPEC to urothelial cells was decreased when the cells were preincubated with SP-A. Adhesion of UPEC to urothelial cells is achieved via interaction between FimH, an adhesin located at bacterial pili, and uroplakin Ia, a glycoprotein expressed on the urothelium. SP-A directly bound to uroplakin Ia and competed with FimH for uroplakin Ia binding. These results lead us to conclude that SP-A plays important roles in host defense against UPEC.