Is Apolipoprotein A-I a regulating protein for the complement system of cod (Gadus morhua L.)》.pdfVIP

Fish Shellfish Immunology Fish Shellfish Immunology 16 (2004) 265–269 /locate/fsi Short communication Is Apolipoprotein A-I a regulating protein for the complement system of cod (Gadus morhua L.)? Bergljo´t Magnado´ttir*, Sigrun Lange Institute for Experimental Pathology, University of Iceland, Keldur v. Vesturlandsveg, IS-112 Reykjavı´k, Iceland Received 7 March 2003; accepted 9 May 2003 Keywords: Gadus morhua; Apolipoprotein A-I; Complement C3 Apolipoproteins are a heterogenic class of lipid-associated proteins found in the plasma and other body fluids of vertebrates. Apolipoprotein is a constituent of the hydrophilic coat that surrounds the lipids and different types are characteristic for different lipoprotein densities. Apolipoprotein A-I (ApoLP A-I) is the major protein component of high density lipoproteins (HDL) [1–3]. ApoLP A-I is an activator of the lecithin-cholesterol-acyl-transferase (LCAT), a plasma enzyme involved in cholesterol metabolism [1]. Several other functions have been attributed to ApoLP A-I. It is, for example, involved in the binding of LPS (lipopolysaccharide) [4], antiviral activity has been described [5,6] and ApoLP A-I isolated from carp ( Cyprinus carpio) has been shown to have heparin binding activity implicated in nerve regeneration processes [7]. A regulatory role in the complement system has also been discovered, ApoLP A-I primarily acting as an inhibitor of the membrane attack complex, C5b-9 [8–11]. The complement system of cod (Gadus morhua L.) has been studied at our institute in recent years [12,