title: The lectin pathway and its implications in coagulation, infections and auto-immunity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To give a comprehensive overview of the recently published studies on the role of the lectin pathway in coagulation, infections and auto-immunity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We present the status quo picture of the lectin pathway, including the newly discovered member, MAp44 (a.k.a. MAP-1), which may act as a specific regulator of activation. On the functional side the focus is on the important discoveries of the connections between the coagulation system and mannose-binding lectin-associated serine proteases, newly discovered associations between the lectin pathway and infectious diseases, especially among neonates, the recent findings of the involvement of mannan-binding lectin and ficolins in auto-immune disorders, and novel therapeutic avenues. The involvement of the lectin pathway in ischemia-reperfusion injuries and transplantations is discussed elsewhere in this issue.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The emerging picture of the lectin pathway is that it may play a role in the case of concomitant impairments of cellular and adaptive immunity, as seen in the case of premature infants, neonates, neutropenic cancer patients and the like. Considering the near-exponential increase in interest for the lectin pathway and its intricacies in recent years, the future of the field seems promising.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Aarhus University, and Medical Research Laboratories, Clinical Institute & Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
authors.forename: Søren E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Degn
authors.forename: Jens C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Jensenius
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bjerre
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000276:immunology; D007239:Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D037102:Lectins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D037102:Lectins