Ficolins are a group of proteins containing both a collagen-like domain and a fibrinogen-like
domain and are found in varying tissues. Ficolins present in sera have a lectin activity
toward N-acetylglucosamine through their fibrinogen-like domains. The domain
organizations between ficolins and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) are very similar in that
both consist of a collagen-like domain and a carbohydrate-binding domain, although their
carbohydrate-binding moieties are different. MBL acts as an opsonin and activates …