SAP is a member of the pentraxin protein family.

SAP [7] is a constitutively expressed vertebrate protein [9] found in all types of amyloid deposits [10-11], in glomerular basement membrane [3] and in elastic fibres in blood vessels [2]. SAP binding is calcium-dependent [8]. It is suggested that SAP binding may have an important role to play in atherosclerosis [6,12] and amyloidosis [1,14]. The identification of SAP as a player in amyloidoses and neuropathies, and in response to proof of concept studies [4], this protein is now a drug discovery target [5].

1. Breathnach SM, Bhogal B, Dyck RF, De Beer FC, Black MM, Pepys MB. (1981) Immunohistochemical demonstration of amyloid P component in skin of normal subjects and patients with cutaneous amyloidosis. Br J Dermatol, 105 (2): 115-24. [PMID:7025878]

2. Breathnach SM, Melrose SM, Bhogal B, de Beer FC, Dyck RF, Tennent G, Black MM, Pepys MB. (1981) Amyloid P component is located on elastic fibre microfibrils in normal human tissue. Nature, 293 (5834): 652-4. [PMID:7290201]

3. Dyck RF, Lockwood CM, Kershaw M, McHugh N, Duance VC, Baltz ML, Pepys MB. (1980) Amyloid P-component is a constituent of normal human glomerular basement membrane. J Exp Med, 152 (5): 1162-74. [PMID:7000964]

4. Gillmore JD, Tennent GA, Hutchinson WL, Gallimore JR, Lachmann HJ, Goodman HJ, Offer M, Millar DJ, Petrie A, Hawkins PN et al.. (2010) Sustained pharmacological depletion of serum amyloid P component in patients with systemic amyloidosis. Br J Haematol, 148 (5): 760-7. [PMID:20064157]

5. Kolstoe SE, Wood SP. (2010) Drug targets for amyloidosis. Biochem Soc Trans, 38 (2): 466-70. [PMID:20298204]

6. Li XA, Yutani C, Shimokado K. (1998) Serum amyloid P component associates with high density lipoprotein as well as very low density lipoprotein but not with low density lipoprotein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 244 (1): 249-52. [PMID:9514915]

7. Painter RH, De Escallón I, Massey A, Pinteric L, Stern SB. (1982) The structure and binding characteristics of serum amyloid protein (9.5S alpha 1-glycoprotein). Ann N Y Acad Sci, 389: 199-215. [PMID:6807178]

8. Pepys MB, Dash AC. (1977) Isolation of amyloid P component (protein AP) from normal serum as a calcium-dependent binding protein. Lancet, 1 (8020): 1029-31. [PMID:67487]

9. Pepys MB, Dash AC, Fletcher TC, Richardson N, Munn EA, Feinstein A. (1978) Analogues in other mammals and in fish of human plasma proteins, C-reactive protein and amyloid P component. Nature, 273 (5658): 168-70. [PMID:417269]

10. Pepys MB, Dyck RF, de Beer FC, Skinner M, Cohen AS. (1979) Binding of serum amyloid P-component (SAP) by amyloid fibrils. Clin Exp Immunol, 38 (2): 284-93. [PMID:118839]

11. Skinner M, Vaitukaitis JL, Cohen AS, Benson MD. (1979) Serum amyloid P-component levels in amyloidosis, connective tissue diseases, infection, and malignancy as compared to normal serum. J Lab Clin Med, 94 (4): 633-8. [PMID:479670]

12. Wang M, Jin W, Guo AM, Stubbe J. (2013) Cardiovascular inflammation. Mediators Inflamm, 2013: 123513. [PMID:23983400]

13. Wermuth CG. (2004) Selective optimization of side activities: another way for drug discovery. J Med Chem, 47 (6): 1303-14. [PMID:14998318]

14. Westermark P, Shirahama T, Skinner M, Norén P, Cohen AS. (1981) Amyloid P-component (protein AP) in localized amyloidosis as revealed by an immunocytochemical method. Histochemistry, 71 (2): 171-5. [PMID:7016817]