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The role of the complement system in innate immunity

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Abstract

Complement is a major component of innate immune system involved in defending against all the foreign pathogens through complement fragments that participate in opsonization, chemotaxis, and activation of leukocytes and through cytolysis by C5b-9 membrane attack complex. Bacterias and viruses have adapted in various ways to escape the complement activation, and they take advantage of the complement system by using the host complement receptors to infect various cells. Complement activation also participates in clearance of apoptotic cells and immune, complexes. Moreover at sublytic dose, C5b-9 was shown to promote cell survival. Recently it was also recognized that complement plays a key role in adaptive immunity by modulating and modifying the T cell responses. All these data suggest that complement activation constitutes a critical link between the innate and acquired immune responses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W Baltimore St, BRB 12-016, 21201, Baltimore, MD

    Horea Rus MD, PhD & Cornelia Cudrici

  2. Multiple Sclerosis Center of Excellence, Veterans Administration Maryland Health Care System, 655 W Baltimore St, BRB 12-016, 21201, Baltimore, MD

    Horea Rus MD, PhD

  3. Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W Baltimore St, BRB 12-016, 21201, Baltimore, MD

    Florin Niculescu

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  1. Horea Rus MD, PhD
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  2. Cornelia Cudrici
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Correspondence to Horea Rus MD, PhD.

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Rus, H., Cudrici, C. & Niculescu, F. The role of the complement system in innate immunity. Immunol Res 33, 103–112 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1385/IR:33:2:103

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