Complement component C3 is part of the complement system
and its binding to pathogen surfaces activates the alternative
pathway, which leads to opsonisation and destruction of pathogens.
Transcription of complement c3 can be activated by immunostimulants
directly or indirectly via cytokines. In the present study b-glucan administration led to enhanced mRNA levels of c3 at
11 dph whilst expression of cytokines was not affected suggesting
direct detection of b-glucan by C3 as discussed above. It is however
possible, that alternative or additional pathways were not detected
owing to the limited number of immune genes studied or that the
modulated microbiota led to these changes