title: Tracing complement-retroviral interactions from mucosal surfaces to the lymphatic tissue.
abstract: During (nearly) all steps in retroviral pathogenesis, viruses are confronted with complement and complement receptor (CR)-positive cells. As all of the retroviruses tested so far activate the complement system, members of this virus family have adapted different protection mechanisms to keep complement activation under the threshold necessary to avoid complement-mediated lysis. As a consequence of complement activation, retroviruses are covered with complement proteins and thus provide additional ligands to interact with CR-expressing cells. This review discusses the complex complement-retroviral interactions and follows the fate of the virus on its way to the lymphatic tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene, Microbiology and Social Medicine and Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for AIDS Research, Innsbruck Medical University, Austria.
authors.forename: Zoltan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Banki
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soederholm
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mullauer
authors.forename: Manfred Paul
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dierich
authors.forename: Heribert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Stoiber
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003167:Complement Activation; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D011951:Receptors, Complement / Q000378:metabolism; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D011951:Receptors, Complement; D003165:Complement System Proteins