Human conglutinin, polyclonal, and monoclonal antibodies raised against human conglutinin, and their uses in therapy and diagnosis are described. Human conglutinin was obtained from human plasma by affinity chromatography with anti-bovine conglutinin antibody, has a relative molecular weight of 330 and 40 K unreduced and 66 K reduced as measured by SDS-PAGE, shows calcium-dependent and sugar inhibitable binding to complement-reacted immune complexes and zymosan, and immunological cross-reaction with anti-bovine conglutinin antibody.
Peptide fragments of conglutinin are provided for use in binding to complementary ligands. Particularly, an N-proximal region is provided having a hypervariable region with a collagen type structure for binding to complementary molecules, and a C-proximal region which provides for lectin binding activity.
Novel scavenger receptors having an SR structure and a collectin-like structure are provided, which can be utilized in the elucidation of mechanisms of macrophage and basic immunity; in the elucidation of mechanisms of the development of a wide variety of diseases such as arteriosclerosis, diabetic complications and Alzheimer's disease, hyper .beta.-lipoproteinemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, hypo .alpha.-lipoproteinemia, transplantation, atherectomy, post angiogenic restenosis, bacterial infections; in the diagnostic, prophylactic and therapeutic methods thereof; and in the development of reagents and drugs for the same. The novel scavenger receptors include proteins comprising an amino acid sequence set out in SEQ ID NO: 2, 4 or 24 or proteins having equivalent properties to the same, or derivatives or fragments thereof as well as isolated polynucleotides comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding these proteins, and related molecules such as antibodies, antagonists and the like. Also disclosed are methods for the treatment using the same.
