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Complement factor H in host defense and immune evasion
Ist Teil von
Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 2017-05, Vol.74 (9), p.1605-1624
Ort / Verlag
Cham: Springer International Publishing
Erscheinungsjahr
2017
Link zum Volltext
Quelle
MEDLINE
Beschreibungen/Notizen
Complement is the major humoral component of the innate immune system. It recognizes
pathogen
- and
damage
-
associated molecular patterns
, and initiates the immune response in coordination with innate and adaptive immunity. When activated, the complement system unleashes powerful cytotoxic and inflammatory mechanisms, and thus its tight control is crucial to prevent damage to host tissues and allow restoration of immune homeostasis. Factor H is the major soluble inhibitor of complement, where its binding to
self markers
(i.e., particular glycan structures) prevents complement activation and amplification on host surfaces. Not surprisingly, mutations and polymorphisms that affect recognition of
self
by factor H are associated with diseases of complement dysregulation, such as age-related macular degeneration and atypical haemolytic uremic syndrome. In addition, pathogens (i.e.,
non
-
self
) and cancer cells (i.e.,
altered
-
self
) can hijack factor H to evade the immune response. Here we review recent (and not so recent) literature on the structure and function of factor H, including the emerging roles of this protein in the pathophysiology of infectious diseases and cancer.