Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein is a protein

Protein

Proteins are biochemical compounds consisting of one or more polypeptides typically folded into a globular or fibrous form, facilitating a biological function. A polypeptide is a single linear polymer chain of amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of...

 that in humans is encoded by the LBP gene

Gene

A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...

.

LBP is a soluble acute-phase protein that binds to bacterial lipopolysaccharide

Lipopolysaccharide

Lipopolysaccharides , also known as lipoglycans, are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide joined by a covalent bond; they are found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, act as endotoxins and elicit strong immune responses in animals.-Functions:LPS is the major...

 (or LPS) to elicit immune responses by presenting the LPS to important cell surface pattern recognition receptor

Pattern recognition receptor

Pattern recognition receptors are a primitive part of the immune system. They are proteins expressed by cells of the innate immune system to identify pathogen-associated molecular patterns , which are associated with microbial pathogens or cellular stress, as well as damage-associated molecular...

s called CD14

CD14

Cluster of differentiation 14 also known as CD14 is a human gene.The protein encoded by this gene is a component of the innate immune system. CD14 exists in two forms. Either it is anchored into the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol tail or it appears in a soluble form...

 and TLR4

Toll-like receptor

Toll-like receptors are a class of proteins that play a key role in the innate immune system. They are single, membrane-spanning, non-catalytic receptors that recognize structurally conserved molecules derived from microbes...

.

Interactions

Lipopolysaccharide-binding protein has been shown to interact

Protein-protein interaction

Protein–protein interactions occur when two or more proteins bind together, often to carry out their biological function. Many of the most important molecular processes in the cell such as DNA replication are carried out by large molecular machines that are built from a large number of protein...

 with CD14

CD14

Cluster of differentiation 14 also known as CD14 is a human gene.The protein encoded by this gene is a component of the innate immune system. CD14 exists in two forms. Either it is anchored into the membrane by a glycosylphosphatidylinositol tail or it appears in a soluble form...

, TLR2, TLR4 and the co-receptor MD-2.