Complement and the immune response.
This past year has seen a major advance in our understanding of how the complement system enhances the adaptive immune response. The use of in vivo models has revealed that direct coupling of C3d to antigen is sufficient to dramatically reduce the amount of antigen required for a secondary response. At least one important requirement for the enhancing effect was determined to be expression of the CD21 (C3d receptor) on B cells.
Carroll
M C
MC
Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Building D-2, Room 533, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mcarroll@warren.med.harvard.edu
Fischer
M B
MB
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D003167:Complement Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d / Q000096:biosynthesis
D003176:Complement C3; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d