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Phosphorylcholine: friend or foe of the immune system?

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Abstract

Phosphorylcholine (PC) is a structural component of a variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic pathogens. In some cases, PC in infectious agents can benefit the infected host due to its targeting by both the innate and adaptive immune responses. However, as discussed here, PC exhibits a surprising range of immunomodulatory properties that might be to the detriment of the host.

Section snippets

PC is targeted by host immune responses

IgM and IgG3 antibodies directed against PC are found in the serum of normal mice and have proved effective in preventing experimentally induced intravenous infection with the encapsulated WU2 strain of type-3 S. pneumoniae (22, 23). Furthermore, mice experimentally or genetically unable to make anti-PC antibodies are highly susceptible to this bacterium strain but can be protected with normal mouse serum from wild-type mice or with anti-PC hybridomas. Type-b H. influenzae are also sensitive to

PC mediates persistence and invasiveness

Surface PC has been suggested to contribute to the persistence of H. influenzae in the respiratory tract. For example, during nasopharyngeal carriage in infant rats a gradual selection for PC+ variants was observed, and there is evidence that PC+ forms predominate in the human respiratory tract24. It is uncertain whether PC contributes to the disease-causing potential of these bacteria but there do appear to be situations in which PC on the bacterial surface is absolutely critical for the

Concluding remarks

In addition to its structural biochemical roles, PC appears to have a number of properties that allow it to modulate host–pathogen interactions. In some cases, the expression of PC by an organism can benefit the infected host by acting as a target for protective immunity. By contrast, expression of PC can be detrimental to the host in that it can increase the persistence or invasiveness of an organism, or even enable it to suppress or modulate host immune responses. Moreover, the consequences

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