The complement system comprises several fluid-phase and membrane-associated proteins.
Under physiological conditions, activation of the fluid-phase components of complement is …

Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas′ disease, which affects a large number
of individuals in Central and South America, is transmitted to vertebrate hosts by blood …

Factor H (fH), a key alternative complement pathway regulator, is a cofactor for factor I–
mediated cleavage of C3b. fH consists of 20 short consensus repeat (SCR) domains. Sialic …

The surface of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is covered in mucins, which
contribute to parasite protection and to the establishment of a persistent infection. Their …

The innate immune system is the first mechanism of vertebrate defense against pathogen
infection. In this study, we present evidence for a novel immune evasion mechanism of …

CD8+ T cells are crucial for control of a number of medically important protozoan parasites,
including Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of human Chagas disease. Yet, in contrast to the …

Trypanosoma cruzi expresses at its surface large amounts of mucin-like glycoproteins. The
T. cruzi mucins (TcMUC), a group of highly glycosylated GPI-anchored proteins rich in Thr …

Since the discovery of N-acetylneuraminic acid, the most universal sialic acid, at the end of
the 1930s [1],[2] as well as the structural and stereochemical elucidation of its free and …

Autoreactive B lymphocytes first encountering self-antigens in peripheral tissues are
normally regulated by induction of anergy or apoptosis. According to the “two-signal” model …

Factor H is responsible for recognition of host cells and tissues and mediates discrimination
among microbial pathogens during activation of the alternative pathway of complement (AP) …