Cellular receptors for fragments of the third component of complement.

Overview

Many of the biological effects of the complement system are mediated by cellular receptors which can bind the fragments of C3 that are covalently attached to activators of complement. These receptors, which are termed CR1, CR2 and CR3, reside on lymphocytes, myelomonocytic cells, erythrocytes and renal podocytes. Progress in understanding their roles in im munological reactions has recently accelerated, as summarized in this review by Douglas Fearon, because of the molecular identification of these membrane proteins.