Anti-pentraxin antibodies in autoimmune systemic diseases: Focus on anti-pentraxin-3 autoantibodies.

Pentraxins are soluble pattern recognition molecules implicated not only in the opsonization and removal of microorganisms but also in the clearance of modified self (i.e., dying cells). Pentraxins can be classified into short pentraxins (C-reactive protein and serum amyloid-P component) and long pentraxins with pentraxin-3 (PTX3), the prototypic one of the latter. Pentraxins are involved in various physiological or pathophysiological processes such as inflammation and autoimmunity. A breakdown in immune tolerance to pentraxins has been reported in various autoimmune diseases. In the present review, we analyzed the current knowledge concerning anti-pentraxin antibodies, with a special focus on anti-PTX3 autoantibodies.