C-Reactive Protein: The Most Familiar Stranger

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Biochemistry
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• C-reactive protein (CRP) is a conserved pentraxin with pattern recognition receptor activity.
• Despite its use as an inflammation marker, CRP's in vivo functions in health and disease are largely unestablished.
• Species-specific expression patterns in rodents complicate the study of CRP's conserved functions.

Approach:

• This review discusses recent advances in understanding CRP's essential and conserved functions across species.
• It proposes the use of appropriately designed animal models to investigate human CRP's in vivo actions.
• Focus is placed on origin-, conformation-, and localization-dependent effects of CRP.

Key Points:

• CRP's functions are essential and conserved across diverse species.
• Animal models require careful design to accurately reflect human CRP actions.
• Understanding CRP's context-dependent roles is crucial for mechanistic insights.

Conclusions:

• Appropriately designed animal models are vital for studying human CRP in vivo.
• Establishing pathophysiological roles of CRP will facilitate the development of targeted therapies.
• Further research into CRP's conserved functions will advance clinical applications.