antileukoproteinase; ALP; BLPI; HUSI-1; mucus proteinase inhibitor; MPI; protease inhibitor WAP4; secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor; seminal proteinase inhibitor; WAP four-disulfide core domain protein 4 (SLPI, WAP4, WFDC4)

Function

• acid-stable proteinase inhibitor with strong affinities for trypsin, chymotrypsin, elastase, & cathepsin G
• may prevent elastase-mediated damage to oral & possibly other mucosal tissues

Structure

contains 2 WAP domains

Compartment

secreted

Expression

mucous fluids

Pathology

• respiratory tract disease may involve an imbalance between proteases of cells involved in inflammatary responses & the inhibitors of these proteases
• inflammation-mediated release of neutrophil elastase in the lungs of patients whose levels of active alpha-1-antiprotease are compromised by genetic background, cigarette smoking, air pollutants, or a combination of all three can result in severe lung damage & a increased mortality

Pharmacology

• the relatively small size of SLPI, its lack of glycosylation & its stability make this protein a candidate for use as a therapeutic agent in diseases mediated by leukocyte elastase-antielastase imbalances

More general terms

• protease inhibitor
• secreted protein

Database

• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=6590
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:6590
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/107285
• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P03973.html