Pentraxins: Structure, Function, and Role in Inflammation

Table 1

Comparison of the properties of the pentraxins: C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid P (SAP).

	C-reactive protein (CRP)	Serum amyloid P (SAP)
Fc receptor binding	Yes	Yes
Calcium-dependent ligand binding	Yes	Yes
Complement activation through C1q	Yes	Yes
Ligands	Phosphocholine; snRNP (Sm, RNP); Histones; Apoptotic cells; Oxidized LDL	Phosphoethanolamine; DNA, chromatin; Heparin; Apoptotic cells; Amyloid fibrils
Major synthetic site	Liver	Liver
Inducers	IL-6 (acute phase reactant)	Constitutive
Structure	Cyclic pentamer 115,135 Da; Each subunit 23,027 Da; 206 amino acids	Cyclic pentamer 127,310 Da; Each subunit 25,462 Da; 204 amino acids
Glycosylation	No	Yes
Chromosomal location	1q23.2	1q23.2