Journal
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 165, Issue 4, Pages 2093-2100Publisher
AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.165.4.2093
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Mannan-binding lectin (MBL) plays a pivotal role in innate immunity by activating complement after binding carbohydrate moieties on pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Structural similarities shared by MBL and C1 complexes and by the MBL- and C1q-associated serine proteases, MEL-associated serine protease (MASP)-1 and MASP-2, and C1r and C1s, respectively, have led to the expectation that the pathways of complement activation by MBL and C1 complexes are likely to be very similar. We have expressed rMASP-2 and show that, whereas C1 complex autoactivation proceeds via a two-step mechanism requiring proteolytic activation of both C1r and C1s, reconstitution with MASP-2 alone is sufficient for complement activation by MEL. The results suggest that the catalytic activities of MASP-2 split between the two proteases of the C1 complex during the course of vertebrate complement evolution.
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