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Immunohistochemical localization of modified C-reactive protein antigen in normal vascular tissue
E E Diehl1, G K Haines, J A Radosevich
1Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Background:
The prototypic acute phase reactant, C-reactive protein (CRP), is a serum soluble, cyclic pentameric protein, the concentration of which increases markedly within hours of any tissue-damaging, inflammatory event. However, upon dissociation of its pentameric quaternary structure, CRP subunits undergo a spontaneous and irreversible conformational change. The resulting molecule, termed modified CRP or mCRP, has reduced aqueous solubility and a propensity to aggregate into a matrix-like lattice structure.
Methods:
Using monoclonal antibodies, normal human tissues were immunohistochemically screened for the presence of CRP as well as mCRP antigens.
Results:
Significant levels of mCRP were detected in the walls of blood vessels associated with normal human tissues. These data indicate that mCRP is a naturally occurring form of CRP and that it is a tissue-based rather than serum-based molecule.
Significance:
This report describes the localization of a stable form of CRP, mCRP, in blood vessels associated with normal human tissues.