Although transmembrane C-type lectins (CLs) are known to initiate immune signaling, the participation and mechanism of action of soluble CLs have remained enigmatic. In this study, we found that M-ficolin, a conserved soluble CL of monocyte origin, overcomes its lack of membrane-anchor domain by docking constitutively onto a monocyte transmembrane receptor, G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPCR43...

It is unknown how soluble pattern-recognition receptors in blood, such as mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and ficolins, modulate mast cell-mediated inflammatory responses. We investigate how mouse MBL-A or ficolin-A regulate mouse bone marrow-derived mast cells (mBMMCs)-derived inflammatory response against bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation. LPS-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine prod...

BACKGROUND Complement 4d (C4d) deposition in the peritubular capillary (PTC) in the kidney allograft is a useful diagnostic marker for humoral rejection. C4d is produced not only by the classical pathway but also by the lectin pathway of the complement activation cascade. We have recently reported the in situ role of the later phase of the complement cascade in renal allografts with C4d deposit...

The ficolin 1, 2 and 3 (derived from the FCN1, 2 and 3 genes, respectively) are homologous soluble pattern recognition molecules of importance for innate immunity, comprising collagen-like and fibrinogen-like domains, binding to sugar groups on different types of microorganisms. Serum concentration of Ficolin-2 varies considerably in healthy individuals. Thus, we speculated whether this could b...

BACKGROUND The innate immune system may have adverse effects in diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The complement system seems to play a key role through erroneous complement activation via hyperglycaemia-induced neoepitopes. Recently mannan-binding lectin (MBL) was shown to worsen diabetic kidney changes. We hypothesize that mouse ficolin B exerts detrimental effects in the diabetic kidney a...

BACKGROUND In HIV-infected patients, prediction of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease remains difficult. A protective role of mannan-binding lectin (MBL) and ficolins against CMV disease has been reported after transplantation, but the impact in HIV-infected patients is unclear. METHODS In a case-control study nested within the Swiss HIV Cohort Study, we investigated associations between plasma le...

BACKGROUND Ficolin-2 coded by FCN2 gene is a soluble serum protein that plays an important role in innate immunity. In this study, we analyzed five functional polymorphisms of the FCN2 gene for their possible association with cutaneous leishmaniasis. METHODS Initially we screened 40 Syrian Arabs for the entire FCN2 gene. We investigated the contribution of FCN2 functional variants in 226 pati...

BACKGROUND The divergent epidemiological behavior of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotypes suggests that serotype-specific features such as capsule O-acetylation influence the propensity of a strain to cause invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). We hypothesize that innate host factors mediate the observed negative association between IPD and the serotype 11A (ST11A) capsule O-acetyltransferase gene...

Introduction The complement system plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory processes. The lectin pathway of the complement is activated through the recognition of pathogens or altered self-structures by the pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) mannan-binding lectin (MBL), H-ficolin, L-ficolin and M-ficolin in collaboration with MBL-associated serine proteases (MASPs). P...

Objectives In the present study we determined the levels of annexinA5, ficolin-H, and ficolin-L proteins, in the blood of patients with FMF and healthy controls. Assessment of correlation between the levels of these proteins was also performed. Annexin-A5 is a marker of apoptosis; ficolinH and ficolin-L are components of the complement cascade. Binding of ficolins to the surface of apoptotic ce...