Soluble pattern recognizing collectins are integral to human reproductive health

Dysregulated immune response and inflammation are characteristic features of ailing reproductive health. Therefore, it is pertinent to decipher the immunology of the female and male reproductive tracts. A series of studies by our group delineated the roles of the three collectins, surfactant protein A (SP-A), surfactant protein D (SP-D), and Mannose-Binding Lectin, integral components of the innate immune response, in reproductive health. The findings demonstrated that gonadal steroid hormones regulated the uterine and testicular expression of SP-D and implicated critical roles of collectins in murine embryo implantation, spermatogenesis, and placental development. The data from clinical studies inferred that SP-D was differentially expressed in the placental tissues of women undergoing spontaneous abortion and women undergoing spontaneous labor suggesting its critical role in regulating inflammation at the feto-maternal interface. In a prospective cohort of 922 pregnant women, serum SP-A, SP-D, and P4/E2 ratio were identified as potential predictive biomarkers of severe Preeclampsia and missed abortion before the 14 th week of gestation. Importantly, our collaborative studies established that SP-D reverses the human immunodeficiency virus-1-induced gene expression in an ex vivo model of human vaginal tissue. A direct anti-cancer role of SP-D in both androgen-dependent and independent prostate cancer cells and the tumor biopsies from metastatic prostate cancer patients was reported for the first time. The membrane interactome studies on SP-D identified 347 potential targets on prostate cancer cells including Glucose Regulated Protein of 78 kDa (GRP78), a known prostate cancer cell target. A significantly increased expression of collectins on ectopic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could contribute to endometriotic inflammation. The intensive research has offered the prospect of novel therapies, targeting inflammation-driven anomalous reproductive physiology, to restore immune homeostasis and fertility.