Search results for "Complement Factor H"
showing 2 items of 12 documents
Eliminating Factor H-Binding Activity of Borrelia burgdorferi CspZ Combined with Virus-Like Particle Conjugation Enhances Its Efficacy as a Lyme Dise…
2018
The spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi is the causative agent of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne disease in the U.S and Europe. No potent human vaccine is currently available. The innate immune complement system is vital to host defense against pathogens, as complement activation on the surface of spirochetes results in bacterial killing. Complement system is inhibited by the complement regulator factor H. To escape killing, B. burgdorferi produces an outer surface protein CspZ that binds factor H to inhibit complement activation on the cell surface. Immunization with CspZ alone does not protect mice from infection, which we speculate is because factor H-binding cloaks potentially pro…
Research on complement: old issues revisited and a novel sphere of influence
2003
Immunology in recent years has taken a somewhat surprising turn, expressed by a renewed interest in innate immunity. Especially intriguing is the regulatory role exerted by the innate components on the adaptive response, with Toll receptors and complement components being the most investigated. This function has been firmly established for complement protein CR2 (CD21) as part of the BCR co-receptor CD19/CD21/CD81. New findings are now providing a broader picture of complement and its tuning of the immune response; for example, complement proteins have been implicated in the control of T-cell-mediated responses. We will review some of these data here and summarize new discoveries in areas o…