It is related to some C-substance but still what does C stand for is not yet clear.
it was first discovered in the serum of patients who had acute inflammatory reactions to C polysaccharide of pneumococcus
Yes, that true, but still the question remains the same, what does C in C-polysaccharide of pneumococcus stands for. If you search further, the C-polysaccharide is some C-substance, but what is 'C'
actually it is PHOSPHOCHOLINE (PnC) attached to cell wall ....
others say teichoic acid
Tatini Claudia's reference is correct but Fraction C was later identified as Capsular-polysaccharide. I attach an excerpt from my recent book that explains what C-polysaccharide is and its relevance to inflammation. The reference and URL of the book are: M. Levine, Periodontal disease: Section 13.3.1: Long-term Effects of Persistent PAMP Stimulation, In: Topics in Dental Biochemistry, Chapter 13. Published Online by Springer, 2011. See:http://www.springer.com/medicine/dentistry/book/978-3-540-88115-5)
EXCERPT: Activated leukocytes induce the synthesis and secretion from the liver of an unrelated set of proteins called acute-phase proteins. One such protein, C-reactive protein (CRP) was originally identified as binding to the phosphocholine attachment site of capsular polysaccharide (C-polysaccharide) from Streptococcus pneumoniae. CRP in blood has a half life of less than a day, compared with 4 days for fibrinogen. A continuously elevated CRP content indicates a persistent proinflammatory stimulus in the body. CRP binds to host or bacterial phosphocholine, and the complex activates a group of plasma proteins called complement (Sect. 3.3.2). The complement system resembles the blood clotting system, except that proteolytic cleavage of its components results in peptide fragments that to attract and enhance the phagocytosis (opsonization) of CRP- or antibody-bound material by macrophages (like IL-1 or IL-8). CRP is part of the innate immune response, and the antibody response is part of the acquired immune response (Sect. 12.1.4). For further details see also J Immunol. 1984 Sep;133(3):1424-30. PMID: 6747291
NOTE: PAMPs in the Chapter sub-heading are “Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns” whose nature and role in activating inflammation is described in section 13.2.1 and section 13.2.2 of the book.
WOw! Martin, that was an excellent answer, satisfied with your reply... Thanx
