Evolution of the complement system.

T C Farries; J P Atkinson

doi:10.1016/0167-5699(91)90002-b

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Evolution of the complement system.

T C Farries·J P Atkinson

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Abstract

The ancestral form of the alternative pathway of complement activation probably originated as a primitive independent immune system. Subsequent evolution of an adaptive immune response drove the specialization of the classical pathway to connect antibody-mediated nonself recognition to the complement-dependent effector mechanisms. In this article Timothy Farries and John Atkinson consider how the contemporary complexity arose by a succession of credible alterations at the genetic level, and the selective advantages provided at each step.

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Biological Evolution Complement Activation Complement C3 Complement Pathway, Alternative Complement Pathway, Classical Complement System Proteins Humans Immune System Journal Article Review

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T C Farries, J P Atkinson. 1991. Evolution of the complement system.. https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5699(91)90002-b

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