Journal
CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL DESIGN
Volume 17, Issue 1, Pages 38-46Publisher
BENTHAM SCIENCE PUBL LTD
DOI: 10.2174/138161211795049750
Keywords
Pentraxin; PTX3; inflammation; innate immunity; vascular pathology; atherosclerosis
Categories
Funding
- European Commission [LSHG-CT-2005-005203, 2008-02156, LSHM-CT-2003-503254]
- European Research Council
- Ministero dell'Istruzione, Universita e della Ricerca (MIUR)
- Telethon (Telethon) [GGP05095]
- fondazione CARIPLO [2009-2582]
- Ministero della Salute (Ricerca finalizzata)
- Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC)
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Pentraxins are a family of evolutionarily conserved multifunctional pattern-recognition proteins characterized by a cyclic multimeric structure. Based on the primary structure of the subunit, the pentraxins are divided into two groups: short pentraxins and long pentraxins. C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid P-component (SAP) are the two short pentraxins. The prototype protein of the long pentraxin group is pentraxin 3 (PTX3). CRP and SAP are produced primarily in the liver in response to IL-6, while PTX3 is produced by a variety of tissues and cells and in particular by innate immunity cells in response to proinflammatory signals and Toll-like receptor (TLR) engagement. PTX3 interacts with several ligands, including growth factors, extracellular matrix components and selected pathogens, playing a role in complement activation and facilitating pathogen recognition by phagocytes, acting as a predecessor of antibodies. In addition, PTX3 is essential in female fertility by acting as a nodal point for the assembly of the cumulus oophorus hyaluronan-rich extracellular matrix. Here we will concisely review the general properties of PTX3 in the context of the pentraxin superfamily and discuss recent data suggesting that PTX3 plays a cardiovascular protective effect. PTX3 may represent a new marker in vascular pathology which correlates with the risk of developing vascular events.
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