Crustacean immunity and complement; a premature comparison?

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. The prophenoloxidase activating system constitutes a system for recognition of foreignness in several invertebrates. The system has been especially well studied in crustaceans and it will now be possible to begin structural comparisons between components of the prophenoloxidase activating system and components of other cascade systems which function in host defense such as the vertebrate complement and blood coagulation. © 1995 by the American Society of Zoologists.