C-reactive protein binds to short phosphoglycan repeats of secreted proteophosphoglycans and activates complement.

Human C-reactive protein (CRP) binds to lipophosphoglycan (LPG), a virulence factor of spp., through the repeating phosphodisaccharide region. We report here that both major components of promastigote secretory gel (PSG), the filamentous proteophosphoglycan (fPPG) and the secreted acid phosphatase (ScAP), are also ligands.