C-reactive proteins

C-reactive proteins

A group of proteins that increase rapidly in amount in the blood during infections. They promote the binding of COMPLEMENT, a process known as opsonization (From Latin, opsonare , to lay in provisions for the table). Human C-reactive protein consists of five identical POLYPEPTIDE units arranged in a cyclical pattern. The protein has the power of binding to micro-organisms that have phorphorylcholine in their cell membranes. The complex then activates complement and in this way encourage the destruction and removal of invaders by phagocyte cells (PHAGOCYTOSIS).