Pentraxin (PTX)

Pentraxins are a superfamily of evolutionarily conserved proteins characterized by a signature 200-amino acid pentraxin domain and a multimeric, typically pentameric, structure [Bottazzi et al., Front Immunol 2016]. They are categorized into short pentraxins, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and Serum amyloid P component (SAP), and long pentraxins, such as Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) [UniProt P02741, P02743, P26022]. These proteins function as soluble pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in the innate immune system, where they recognize microbial components and apoptotic cells to facilitate opsonization and activate the classical complement pathway via C1q [Pepys, Front Immunol 2018]. CRP is a primary clinical biomarker for systemic inflammation and cardiovascular risk, while PTX3 is produced locally at sites of inflammation and is involved in tissue repair and vascular biology [Bottazzi et al., Front Immunol 2016]. Therapeutically, pentraxins are targeted to modulate inflammatory responses; for instance, miridesap is used to deplete SAP in amyloidosis, and CRP inhibitors are being developed to limit tissue damage in myocardial infarction [DrugBank DB04920; Pepys et al., Nature 2006].

Other names

PentaxinShort pentraxinLong pentraxinPTX family

Depletion of circulating SAP to destabilize amyloid deposits; inhibition of CRP-mediated complement activation to reduce inflammatory tissue damage; modulation of PTX3-driven inflammatory signaling.