The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection

Abstract Before eliciting an adaptive immune response, SARS-CoV-2 must overcome seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers. The first is the mucus covering the respiratory tract’s luminal surface, which entraps inhaled particles, including infectious agents, and eliminates them by mucociliary clearance. The second barrier comprises various components present in the airway lining fluid, the surfactants. Besides providing low surface tension that allows efficient gas exchange at the alveoli, surfactants inhibit the invasion of epithelial cells by respiratory viruses, enhance pathogen uptake by phagocytes, and regulate immune cells’ functions. The respiratory tract microbiota constitutes the third defense barrier against SARS-CoV-2. It activates the innate and adaptive immune cells and elicits anti-infectious molecules such as secretory IgA antibodies, defensins, and interferons. The fourth defense barrier comprises the antimicrobial peptides defensins, and lactoferrin. They show direct antiviral activity, inhibit viral fusion, and modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Secretory IgA antibodies, the fifth defense barrier, besides protecting the local microbiota against noxious agents, also inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cell invasion. If the virus overcomes this barrier, it reaches its target, the respiratory epithelial cells. However, these cells also act as a defense barrier, the sixth one, since they hinder the virus’ access to receptors and produce antiviral and immunomodulatory molecules such as interferons, lactoferrin, and defensins. Finally, the sensing of the virus by the cells of innate immunity, the last constitutive defense barrier, elicits a cascade of signals that activate adaptive immune cells and may inhibit the development of productive infection. The subject of the present essay is discussing these mechanisms.

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Main Author: Tosta,Eduardo
Format: Digital revista
Language:English
Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical - SBMT 2021
Online Access:http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822021000100202
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spelling oai:scielo:S0037-868220210001002022021-12-14The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infectionTosta,Eduardo Respiratory tract microbiota Defensins and lactoferrin Surfactant proteins Epithelial cell interferons Innate immunity Abstract Before eliciting an adaptive immune response, SARS-CoV-2 must overcome seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers. The first is the mucus covering the respiratory tract’s luminal surface, which entraps inhaled particles, including infectious agents, and eliminates them by mucociliary clearance. The second barrier comprises various components present in the airway lining fluid, the surfactants. Besides providing low surface tension that allows efficient gas exchange at the alveoli, surfactants inhibit the invasion of epithelial cells by respiratory viruses, enhance pathogen uptake by phagocytes, and regulate immune cells’ functions. The respiratory tract microbiota constitutes the third defense barrier against SARS-CoV-2. It activates the innate and adaptive immune cells and elicits anti-infectious molecules such as secretory IgA antibodies, defensins, and interferons. The fourth defense barrier comprises the antimicrobial peptides defensins, and lactoferrin. They show direct antiviral activity, inhibit viral fusion, and modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Secretory IgA antibodies, the fifth defense barrier, besides protecting the local microbiota against noxious agents, also inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cell invasion. If the virus overcomes this barrier, it reaches its target, the respiratory epithelial cells. However, these cells also act as a defense barrier, the sixth one, since they hinder the virus’ access to receptors and produce antiviral and immunomodulatory molecules such as interferons, lactoferrin, and defensins. Finally, the sensing of the virus by the cells of innate immunity, the last constitutive defense barrier, elicits a cascade of signals that activate adaptive immune cells and may inhibit the development of productive infection. The subject of the present essay is discussing these mechanisms.info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessSociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical - SBMTRevista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical v.54 20212021-01-01info:eu-repo/semantics/articletext/htmlhttp://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822021000100202en10.1590/0037-8682-0461-2021
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country Brasil
countrycode BR
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region America del Sur
libraryname SciELO
language English
format Digital
author Tosta,Eduardo
spellingShingle Tosta,Eduardo
The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection
author_facet Tosta,Eduardo
author_sort Tosta,Eduardo
title The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection
title_short The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection
title_full The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection
title_fullStr The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection
title_full_unstemmed The seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against SARS-CoV-2 infection
title_sort seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers against sars-cov-2 infection
description Abstract Before eliciting an adaptive immune response, SARS-CoV-2 must overcome seven constitutive respiratory defense barriers. The first is the mucus covering the respiratory tract’s luminal surface, which entraps inhaled particles, including infectious agents, and eliminates them by mucociliary clearance. The second barrier comprises various components present in the airway lining fluid, the surfactants. Besides providing low surface tension that allows efficient gas exchange at the alveoli, surfactants inhibit the invasion of epithelial cells by respiratory viruses, enhance pathogen uptake by phagocytes, and regulate immune cells’ functions. The respiratory tract microbiota constitutes the third defense barrier against SARS-CoV-2. It activates the innate and adaptive immune cells and elicits anti-infectious molecules such as secretory IgA antibodies, defensins, and interferons. The fourth defense barrier comprises the antimicrobial peptides defensins, and lactoferrin. They show direct antiviral activity, inhibit viral fusion, and modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Secretory IgA antibodies, the fifth defense barrier, besides protecting the local microbiota against noxious agents, also inhibit SARS-CoV-2 cell invasion. If the virus overcomes this barrier, it reaches its target, the respiratory epithelial cells. However, these cells also act as a defense barrier, the sixth one, since they hinder the virus’ access to receptors and produce antiviral and immunomodulatory molecules such as interferons, lactoferrin, and defensins. Finally, the sensing of the virus by the cells of innate immunity, the last constitutive defense barrier, elicits a cascade of signals that activate adaptive immune cells and may inhibit the development of productive infection. The subject of the present essay is discussing these mechanisms.
publisher Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical - SBMT
publishDate 2021
url http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822021000100202
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