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Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpes virus complement control protein: KCP - complement inhibition and more.

På svenska

Author

  • Linda Mark
  • O Brad Spiller
  • Bruno O Villoutreix
  • Anna Blom

Summary, in English

The complement system is an important part of innate immunity providing immediate protection against pathogens without a need for previous exposure, as well as priming the adaptive immune response through opsonisation, leukocyte recruitment and enhancing humoral immune responses. Its importance is not only shown through recurring fulminant infections in individuals with complement component deficiencies, but also through the many complement evasion strategies discovered for a wide range of infectious microbes (including acquisition of endogenous host complement inhibitors and expression of own homologues). Knowledge of these mechanisms at a molecular level may aid development of vaccines and novel therapeutic strategies. Here, we review the structure-function studies of the membrane-bound complement inhibitor KCP that is expressed on the surface of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) virions and infected cells. KCP accelerates the decay of classical C3 convertase and induces the degradation of activated complement factors C4b and C3b by serine proteinase, factor I. Molecular modeling and site-directed mutagenesis have identified sites on the surface of endogenous human inhibitors. KCP additionally enhances virion binding to permissive cells through a heparin/heparan sulfate-binding site located at the N-terminus of the protein.

Publishing year

2007

Language

English

Pages

11-22

Publication/Series

Molecular Immunology

Volume

44

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Pergamon Press Ltd.

Topic

  • Immunology in the medical area

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1872-9142