Ficoline
Ficolin is a family of soluble pattern-recognition receptors that participate in the lectin pathway of the complement system. In humans, three members are known: ficolin-1 (M‑ficolin), ficolin-2 (L‑ficolin), and ficolin-3 (H‑ficolin). These proteins are encoded by the FCN1, FCN2, and FCN3 genes, respectively. Ficolin-1 is produced by myeloid cells, while ficolin-2 and ficolin-3 are mainly synthesized by the liver and circulate in the bloodstream.
Structurally, each ficolin has a collagen-like domain at the N-terminus and a C-terminal fibrinogen-like domain that
Functionally, ficolins act as initiators of the lectin pathway by associating with MASP serine proteases (MASP-1,
Clinical and research relevance includes genetic and environmental factors that influence circulating ficolin levels and function.