Macrophage-1 antigen (hereafter
complement receptor 3 or
CR3) (CD11b/CD18) is a human cell surface receptor found on B and T
lymphocytes,
polymorphonuclear leukocytes (mostly neutrophils),
NK cells, and mononuclear phagocytes like
macrophages. CR3 is a
pattern recognition receptor, capable of recognizing and binding to many molecules found on the surfaces of invading bacteria. CR3 also recognizes
iC3b when bound to the surface of foreign cells. iC3b is generated by proteolysis of C3b and binding to the receptor causes
phagocytosis and destruction of the foreign cell opsonized with iC3b. 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. CR3 has also been shown to mediate phagocytosis of the Lyme disease causing bacterium,
Borrelia burgdorferi, in the absence of iC3b opsonization. == CR3 and CR4 ==