Knowledge of Cellular Receptors for Bacterial Endotoxin—1995

Abstract

Septic shock due to infections with gram-negative bacteria remains a major clinical problem for infectious disease specialists, although our understanding of the pathophysiology of this syndrome has improved greatly over the past 5 years. The discovery of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) binding protein, a serum protein that catalyses the transfer of LPS to cellular receptors for LPS, was a major breakthrough. The finding that CD14,a g1ycophosphatidylinositol-linkedmembrane protein expressed by macrophages, is a receptor for LPS has made a major difference in our understanding of cellular activation by LPS. We will review studies dealing with LPS's binding to these proteins and its activation of cells.A better understanding of septic shock at the molecular level should lead to the development of new treatments for this lethal disease.