The role of alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) in the small intestinal mucosa in health and disease is poorly understood. We studied the prevalence and distribution of A1AT positive cells in small bowel biopsies from 35 coeliac disease patients and 25 normal controls retrieved from the records of the Department of Pathology, University of Oxford. Serial 6 micron thick paraffin sections were stained wit...

The main goal of the therapy with purified human plasma alpha1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is to increase A1AT levels and to prevent lungs from elastolytic activity in patients with PiZZ (Glu342Lys) A1AT deficiency-related emphysema. Potential hepatic gains of this therapy are unknown. Herein, we investigated the effect of A1AT therapy on SERPINA1 (gene encoding A1AT) expression. The expression of SERPI...

CONTEXT Alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is the most abundant liver-derived, highly polymorphic, glycoprotein in plasma. Hereditary deficiency of alpha-1-antitrypsin in plasma (A1ATD) is a consequence of accumulation of polymers of A1AT mutants in endoplasmic reticulum of hepatocytes and other A1AT-producing cells. One of the clinical manifestations of A1ATD is liver disease in childhood and cirrhosi...

Mutant Z α1-antitrypsin (E342K) accumulates as polymers within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of hepatocytes predisposing to liver disease, whereas low levels of circulating Z α1-antitrypsin lead to emphysema by loss of inhibition of neutrophil elastase. The ideal therapy should prevent polymer formation while preserving inhibitory activity. Here we used mAb technology to identify interactors w...

α1-Antitrypsin is primarily synthesised in the liver, circulates to the lung and protects pulmonary tissues from proteolytic damage. The Z mutant (Glu342Lys) undergoes inactivating conformational change and polymerises. Polymers are retained within the hepatocyte endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in homozygous (PiZZ) individuals, predisposing the individuals to hepatic cirrhosis and emphysema. Latency...

BACKGROUND Alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency is the only recognised genetic risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Since A1AT is the major inhibitor of neutrophil elastase (NE), this enzyme has become widely implicated in the pathogenesis of COPD in general; however, there is currently no specific biomarker for its...

BACKGROUND A congenital cause of emphysema resulting from alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency affects 1 in 2500 individuals and could account for emphysema in 2 percent of all persons with emphysema. Individuals aged 30 to 45 years with chronic shortness of breath and coughing could have A1AT deficiency. METHODS Using the key words "alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency," "chronic obstructive pulm...

Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Abbreviations: A1ATD: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency; A1AT: Alpha-1 Antitrypsin; ER: Endoplasmic Reticulum; PAS: Periodic Acid Schiff; SNPs: Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms; ERManI: ER Mannosidase I; IPSC: Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell; GC: GlobuleContaining; GD: Globule Devoid; 4-PBA: 4-Phenylbutyric Acid; GFP: Green Fluorescent Protein; LOPAC: Lib...

Neutrophil elastase (NE) activity is increased in lung diseases such as alpha-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency and pneumonia. We have recently demonstrated that NE can induce expression of cathepsin B and MMP 2 in vitro and in a mouse model. We postulated that increased Cathepsin B and MMP-2 in acute and chronic lung diseases are due to the presence of high levels of extracellular NE and that ex...

Alpha 1-antitrypsin (A1AT) is a serine protease inhibitor that mainly inhibits neutrophil elastase in the lungs. A variant of A1AT at the P1 position with methionine 358 to arginine (A1AT-Pittsburgh) is a rapid inhibitor of thrombin with greatly diminished anti-elastase activity. The P2 residue (position 357) of A1AT-Pittsburgh has been shown to play an important role in interactions with throm...