C-Reactive Protein/CRP: Proteins and Enzymes

C-Reactive Protein (CRP), also known as Pentraxin 1, is a secreted pentameric protein that functions as a sensor and activator for the innate immune response. In humans, it is a major acute-phase protein; its circulating concentration is dramatically elevated at the onset of inflammation. In mice, however, serum CRP levels increase only slightly during inflammation, and the analogous acute phase role is filled by Pentraxin 2. CRP binds, opsonizes, and induces the phagocytosis of bacteria and ...