Ficolin-2 recognizes DNA and participates in the clearance of dying host cells.

Ficolin-2 is a serum opsonin, which has been shown to be a pattern recognition molecule in the lectin complement activation pathway. Because innate immune mechanisms are involved in maintaining tissue homeostasis we hypothesized that Ficolin-2 also participate in the clearance of dying host cells. We found that Ficolin-2 binds to late apoptotic cells, as well as to apoptotic bodies and necrotic cells, but not to early apoptotic cells.