From small beginnings in the early 1970s, the study of complement regulatory proteins has grown in the last
decade to the point where it dominates the complement field. This growth has been fueled by the discovery of new
regulators, the cloning of old and new regulators, the discovery that many of the regulators are structurally and
evolutionarily related to each other and the development of recombinant forms for use in therapy. There are now
more proteins known to be involved in controlling the complement system than there are components of the system
and the list continues to grow. The time is ripe for a comprehensive review of our current knowledge of these intriguing
proteins. This book does just that. The first few chapters discuss the "nuts-and-bolts" of the complement
regulators, describing their structures, functional roles and modes of action. The roles of the complement regulators
in vivo are then described, focusing on the consequences of deficiency, roles in the reproductive system, interactions
with pathogens and exploitation for therapy. The interesting developments in defining the complement regulators
expressed in other species are also discussed. The book is written as a monograph, albeit by two people. The text
is as readable as possible without compromising on scientific accuracy and completeness. The conversational style
very evident in some sections is deliberate! Placing all references in a single bibliography at the end of the
text further improves readability. The reader will go to the book to discover a specific fact but be persuaded
to read more and derive pleasure from the process. The authors' enthusiasm for the subject comes over strongly
in the text, and this enthusiasm proves infectious.
Key Features
* Complement regulators--structure, functional roles and mode of action
* Comprehensive reviews of each of the individual regulators
* Roles of Complement regulators in vivo,in health and disease:
* Consequences of deficiency
* Roles in the reproductive system
* Interactions with pathogens
* Exploitation for therapy
* Complement regulators in other species