Ancient origins: Complement in invertebrates

S. V. Nair, A. Ramsden, D. A. Raftos*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    8 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Proteins with obvious similarities to mammalian complement are widely distributed in the animal kingdom. In the vertebrate lineage, deuterostomes like sea urchins and tunicates express proteins that are homologues of C3, the central component of the vertebrate complement cascade. Their genomes also encode molecules resembling factor B from the “alternative” complement activation pathway; and tunicates have collagenous lectins of the type that can activate complement in the absence of antibodies. This suggests that the core components of the complement system evolved before antibodies, which first appear in jawed fish.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)114-123
    Number of pages10
    JournalInvertebrate Survival Journal
    Volume2
    Issue number2
    Publication statusPublished - 2005

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