C-reactive protein (CRP) is a multipotent protein that undergoes conformational changes between circulating native pentameric CRP (pCRP), pentameric symmetrical forms (pCRP*) and monomeric CRP (mCRP) forms. mCRP exhibits strong pro-inflammatory activity and activates platelets, leukocytes, and endothelial cells. Abundant deposition of mCRP in inflamed tissues plays a role in several disease conditions, such as ischemia/reperfusion injury, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular disease.
Conversion of pCRP to mCRP induces inflammatory signalling, monoacyl phosphatidylcholine generated by PLA2, or by oxidation lipid acyl chains, promotes binding and dissociation of pCRP to mCRP. mCRP gains functionally active neoepitopes that carry out highly pro-inflammatory and pro-thrombotic features, thus mCRP can bind cholesterol and enter plasmatic membrane and activate pro-inflammatory responses.
Deposition of mCRP, which has a much lower aqueous solubility than pCRP, has been shown in the brain in infarcted areas of Alzheimer diseases patients and in regions with amyloid burden, in atherosclerotic plaques in vascular disease and in other foci of inflammatory tissue injuries.
Enzyme Immunoassay for the quantitative determination of monomeric CRP (mCRP) in human serum and plasma.
RESOURCE
- Garcia-Lara E, Aguirre S, Clotet N, Sawkulycz X, Bartra C, Almenara-Fuentes L, et al. Antibody Protection Against Long-Term Memory Loss Induced by Monomeric C-Reactive Protein in a Kouse Model of Dementia. Biomedicines 9(7):828 (2021)
