Conference on Lactoferrin: Functions and Applications

第五届乳铁蛋白国际会议将于2001年5月4日至9日在加拿大班夫会议中心举行。乳铁蛋白是一种非血红素铁结合蛋白，由表面上皮细胞分泌到粘膜环境中，由腺细胞分泌到乳汁和粘膜分泌物中，并在感染部位由中性粒细胞释放。乳铁蛋白是先天免疫防御系统的关键组成部分。乳铁蛋白作为一种广泛的抗微生物和抗炎剂，其表达在各种环境刺激下迅速上调。会议的目标是汇集来自乳铁蛋白研究领域和领域外相关领域的国际专家，审查最新的技术和优先考虑未来的目标，包括：1)乳铁蛋白的制备及其在机制和功效研究中的应用，2)乳铁蛋白与转铁蛋白家族的结构功能关系及其在铁稳态中的调节作用，3)调节乳铁蛋白基因表达的生理和环境因素，4)乳铁蛋白与细菌和哺乳动物细胞相互作用的分子机制，5)乳铁蛋白的抗菌和抗病毒活性，6)乳铁蛋白抑制肿瘤细胞生长的作用及分子机制。在过去的几年里，这一领域有了重大的发展，最显著的是成功开发了用于人类临床研究的重组乳铁蛋白生产系统，增加了对乳铁蛋白环境调节的分子机制和作用模式的理解，最重要的是，从体外分析系统到临床前和人类临床模型系统的重点急剧转变，以解决乳铁蛋白在体内的功能和功效。鉴于这一领域的迅速发展和迫切需要确定传统抗生素治疗方法的替代方法，以治疗传染病和免疫功能低下的患者，这次会议是及时的。包括乳铁蛋白在内的第一道防线的成分能够迅速对抗粘膜表面遇到的广泛的微生物和化学挑战，这是未来十年满足这一需求的最有希望的方法之一。

The 5th international conference on Lactoferrin will be held at the Banff Conference Center, Canada from May 4-9, 2001. Lactoferrin is a non- heme iron binding protein that is a secreted by surface epithelial cells into the mucosal environment, by glandular cells into milk and mucosal secretions and is released by neutrophils at sites of infection. Lactoferrin is a key component of the innate immune defense system. Lactoferrin functions as a broad range antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agent whose expression is rapidly upregulated in response to a wide variety of environment stimuli. The goal of the conference is to bring together international experts from both within the lactoferrin research field and in related areas outside the field to review the state-of-the-art and prioritize future objectives with regard to: 1) Production and characterization of lactoferrin for use in mechanistic and efficacy studies, 2) The structure function relationships of lactoferrin with regard to the transferrin family and its role in regulation of iron homeostasis, 3) Physiological and environmental factors regulating the expression of the lactoferrin gene, 4) Molecular mechanisms of interaction of lactoferrin with both bacteria and mammalian cells, 5) Antibacterial and antiviral activities of lactoferrin, and 6) Role and molecular mechanisms of growth inhibition of tumor cells by lactoferrin. There have been significant developments in this field in the past few years, most notably in the successful development of recombinant lactoferrin production systems for human clinical studies, increased understanding of the molecular mechanisms of environmental regulation and mode of action of lactoferrin, and most importantly a dramatic shift in emphasis from in vitro assay systems to preclinical and human clinical model systems to address lactoferrin's functions and efficacy in vivo. The conference is timely given the rapid development in this area and urgent need to identify alternative approaches to conventional antibiotic therapies for the treatment of infectious disease and immune compromised patients. The ability of components of the first line of defense including lactoferrin to rapidly combat a broad range of microbial and chemical challenges encountered at mucosal surfaces provides one of the most promising approaches to meet this need over the next decade.