C5aR protects against folate-deficiency induced neural tube defects in mice

Abstract

There has been growing evidence that complement is involved in a range of diverse developmental processes, including cell death and survival, proliferation, differentiation, and regeneration. However little isknownabout the role of complement in embryogenesis, and only recently has it been shown that expression of complement proteins coincides with patterning and organogenesis in Xenopus. Here we show, for the first time, a role for the classical complement 5a receptor, C5aR, in the development of the mammalian neural tube under conditions of maternal folate deficiency. This study provides a new and compelling insight into the role of the complement system in mammalian development, and, furthermore, provides a clue as to why folate deficiency alone does not cause neural tube defects in immunosufficient mice.