Innate immunity relies critically upon the ability of a few pattern recognition molecules to sense molecular markers on pathogens, but little is known about these interactions at the atomic level. Human L‐ and H‐ficolins are soluble oligomeric defence proteins with lectin‐like activity, assembled from collagen fibers prolonged by fibrinogen‐like recognition domains. The X‐ray structures of their trimeric recognition domains, alone and in complex with various ligands, have been solved to resolutions up to 1.95 and 1.7 Å, respectively. Both domains have three‐lobed structures with clefts separating the distal parts of the protomers. Ca2+ ions are found at sites homologous to those described for tachylectin 5A (TL5A), an invertebrate lectin. Outer binding sites (S1) homologous to the GlcNAc‐binding pocket of TL5A are present in the ficolins but show different structures and specificities. In L‐ficolin, three additional binding sites (S2–S4) surround the cleft. Together, they define an unpredicted continuous recognition surface able to sense various acetylated and neutral carbohydrate markers in the context of extended polysaccharides such as 1,3‐β‐d‐glucan, as found on microbial or apoptotic surfaces.

In the endoplasmic reticulum, calreticulin acts as a chaperone and a Ca²⁺-signalling protein. At the cell surface, it mediates numerous important biological effects. The crystal structure of the human calreticulin globular domain was solved at 1.55 Å resolution. Interactions of the flexible N-terminal extension with the edge of the lectin site are consistently observed, revealing a hitherto unidentified peptide-binding site. A calreticulin molecular zipper, observed in all crystal lattices, could further extend this site by creating a binding cavity lined by hydrophobic residues. These data thus provide a first structural insight into the lectin-independent binding properties of calreticulin and suggest new working hypotheses, including that of a multi-molecular mechanism.

The complement system plays a complex role in cancer. In clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), local production of complement proteins drives tumor progression, but the mechanisms by which they do this are poorly understood. We found that complement activation, as reflected by high plasma C4d or as C4d deposits at the tumor site, was associated with poor prognosis in two cohorts of patients with ccRCC. High expression of the C4-activating enzyme C1s by tumor cells was associated with poor prognosis in three cohorts. Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that the prognostic value of C1s was independent from complement deposits, suggesting the possibility of complement cascade–unrelated, protumoral functions for C1s. Silencing of C1s in cancer cell lines resulted in decreased proliferation and viability of the cells and in increased activation of T cells in in vitro cocultures. Tumors expressing high levels of C1s showed high infiltration of macrophages and T cells. Modification of the tumor cell phenotype and T-cell activation were independent of extracellular C1s levels, suggesting that C1s was acting in an intracellular, noncanonical manner. In conclusion, our data point to C1s playing a dual role in promoting ccRCC progression by triggering complement activation and by modulating the tumor cell phenotype and tumor microenvironment in a complement cascade–independent, noncanonical manner. Overexpression of C1s by tumor cells could be a new escape mechanism to promote tumor progression.See related Spotlight by Magrini and Garlanda, p. 855.See article by Daugan et al., p. 909 (40).

The classical complement pathway is initiated by the large (~800kDa) and flexible multimeric C1 complex. Its catalytic function is triggered by the hetero-tetramer of proteases C1r2s2, which is associated to the C1q sensing unit, a complex assembly of 18 chains built as a hexamer of heterotrimers. Initial pioneering studies gained insight into the main architectural principles of the C1 complex. A dissection strategy then provided the high-resolution structures of its main functional and/or structural building blocks, as well as structural details on some key protein-protein interactions. These past and current discoveries will be briefly summed up in order to address the question of what is still ill defined. On a functional point of view, the main molecular determinants of C1 activation and its tight control will be delineated. The current perspective remains to decipher how C1 really works and is controlled in vivo, both in normal and pathological settings

CUB domains are 110-residue protein motifs exhibiting a β-sandwich fold and mediating protein–protein interactions in various extracellular proteins. Recent X-ray structural and mutagenesis studies have led to the identification of a particular CUB domain subset, cbCUB (Ca²⁺-binding CUB domain). Unlike other CUB domains, these harbour a homologous Ca²⁺-binding site that underlies a conserved binding site mediating ionic interaction between two of the three conserved acidic Ca²⁺ ligands and a basic (lysine or arginine) residue of a protein ligand, similar to the interactions mediated by the low-density lipoprotein receptor family. cbCUB-mediated protein–ligand interactions usually involve multipoint attachment through several cbCUBs, resulting in high-affinity binding through avidity, despite the low affinity of individual interactions. The aim of the present review is to summarize our current knowledge about the structure and functions of cbCUBs, which represent the majority of the known CUB repertoire and are involved in a variety of major biological functions, including immunity and development, as well as in various cancer types. Examples discussed in the present review include a wide range of soluble and membrane-associated human proteins, as well as some archaeal and invertebrate proteins. The fact that these otherwise unrelated proteins share a common Ca²⁺-dependent ligand-binding ability suggests a mechanism inheri-ted from very primitive ancestors. The information provided in the present review should stimulate further investigations on the crucial interactions mediated by cbCUB-containing proteins.