AUTHOR=Pilely Katrine , Fumagalli Stefano , Rosbjerg Anne , Genster Ninette , Skjoedt Mikkel-Ole , Perego Carlo , Ferrante Angela M. R. , De Simoni Maria-Grazia , Garred Peter TITLE=C-Reactive Protein Binds to Cholesterol Crystals and Co-Localizes with the Terminal Complement Complex in Human Atherosclerotic Plaques JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2017.01040 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2017.01040 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=
Inflammation is a part of the initial process leading to atherosclerosis and cholesterol crystals (CC), found in atherosclerotic plaques, which are known to induce complement activation. The pentraxins C-reactive protein (CRP), long pentraxin 3 (PTX3), and serum amyloid P component (SAP) are serum proteins associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and these proteins have been shown to interact with the complement system. Whether the pentraxins binds to CC and mediate downstream complement-dependent inflammatory processes remains unknown. Binding of CRP, PTX3, and SAP to CC was investigated