Knowledge of Cellular Receptors for Bacterial Endotoxin--1995

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 glycophosphatidylinositol-linked membrane 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.