Journal
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 174, Issue 6, Pages 3220-3226Publisher
AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.6.3220
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- NIAID NIH HHS [P01 AI52343-03, R01 AI42788] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a circulating serum protein that is sequestered to sites of inflammation and infection. MBL is a member of the collectin family with structural similarities to the lung collectins and functional similarities to C1q. Both MBL and C1q activate complement; C1q activates the classical pathway and MBL the lectin pathway. Here we demonstrate that MBL binds apoptotic cells in vitro and confirm a role for MBL in clearance of apoptotic cells in vivo. Despite MBL null mice demonstrating defective apoptotic cell clearance they did not develop spontaneous autoimmunity, lymphoproliferation, or germinal center expansion although increased numbers of peritoneal B1 cells were detected. These data demonstrate an important in vivo role for MBL in clearance of dying cells and adds the MBL null animals to the few animals with demonstrable in vivo apoptotic cell clearance defects. Moreover, it demonstrates that failure of apoptotic cell clearance can be dissociated from autoimmunity.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available