Biology / Unit 13 Bio 3267 short lesson, about 20 seconds
The Complement System
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The idea
The complement system is a group of blood proteins activating in a cascade, marking pathogens for destruction, recruiting phagocytes, and sometimes puncturing a pathogen's membrane directly.
In practice
Complement proteins coating a bacterium make it more readily engulfed by a passing phagocyte.
Where people slip
Complement activation is nonspecific, distinct from the antigen-specific antibody tagging covered later in this chapter.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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