Immunity and susceptibility to meningococcal disease - the role of collectins.

Research archive

We do not entirely know why some people get meningococcal disease and other people do not. This project aims to explore the role of a group of human proteins, called collectins, in resisting meningococcal disease.

The researchers on this project have already shown that collectins are involved in the human immune response. Collectins all look very similar and have similar functions and are found throughout the body including the nose, throat and blood. Meningococcal bacteria live in the back of the nose and throat and we know that one of the collectins which is there and another one which is found in the blood are able to attach themselves to meningococcal bacteria. Researchers already know that genes for the blood collectin are involved in genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease. They want to find out if the same is true for other collectins. The researchers plan to look at how the collectins interact to provide protection against this disease, so that better strategies for prevention and care can be designed.

Read our news release about this project:

Sheffield scientists in meningitis research - February 2005

Sheffield scientists in meningitis research - May 2003

Results from this study have been published in scientific journals as follows:

Jack DL, Lee ME, Turner MW, Klein NJ, Read RC,
Mannose-binding lectin enhances phagocytosis and killing of Neisseria meningitidis by human macrophages.
J Leukoc Biol 2005 Mar;77(3):328-36. Epub 2004 Nov 29.
http://www.jleukbio.org/cgi/reprint/77/3/328

Jack DL, Cole J, Naylor SC, Borrow R, Kaczmarski EB, Klein NJ, Read RC,
Genetic polymorphism of the binding domain of surfactant protein-A2 increases susceptibility to meningococcal disease. Clin Infect Dis 2006 Dec 1;43(11):1426-33. Epub 2006 Oct 31. http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/CID/journal/issues/v43n11/40274/40274.web.pdf