title: C-reactive protein: structural biology, gene expression, and host defense function.
abstract: Over the past few years substantial insight was gained into the biology and biochemistry of human C-reactive protein (CRP). X-ray crystallography in conjunction with mutational analyses, generated the three-dimensional structure of the protein and indicated the topology and structure of ligand-binding sites. Using human CRP transgenic mice infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae, we obtained data that clearly established CRP as an important host defense molecule. Studies using the same mice revealed a previously unknown testosterone-dependence of constitutive expression of human CRP. In this article we provide a brief overview of these recent findings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham 35294, USA.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Szalai
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Greenhough
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Volanakis
mesh_terms: D000210:Acute-Phase Reaction / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D051379:Mice; D008958:Models, Molecular
chemical_list: D002097:C-Reactive Protein