CR3 is a pattern recognition receptor, capable of recognizing and binding to many molecules found on the surfaces of invading bacteria.
CR3 belongs to a family of cell surface receptors known as integrins (because they share this particular β chain, they are referred to as β2-integrins), which are extremely widely distributed throughout nature and which generally are important in cellular adhesion, migration, phagocytosis and other cell-cell interactions in a variety of cells and circumstances.
[8] CR3 has also been shown to mediate phagocytosis of the Lyme disease causing bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, in the absence of iC3b opsonization.
[4] Immunomodulatory therapies often aim for an induced reduction of symptoms in inflammatory disease or supported elimination of malignancies.
[5][6] Such biological therapeutic targeting is characterized by lowering autoimmune inflammation or enhancing anti-cancer vaccination effects.