胶凝素(collectin)已发现4种,它们是肺表面活性蛋白(pulmonary surfactant protein,SP)A及D(SP-A及SP-D)、胶固素(conglutinin)及甘露糖结合蛋白(mannose-binding protein,MBP)。它们所以命名为胶凝素是因为其单链N端具有胶原蛋白(collagen)样结构,而C端则是C型凝集素(lectin)。Collectin一词就是取collagen前两个字母CO与lectin缩合而成的(中文曾译为集合素,似不妥——译者注)。上述4种胶凝素成员的单链数目并 Four species of collectin have been found, which are pulmonary surfactant proteins (SPs A and D), conglutinin and mannose -binding protein, MBP). They are therefore named gelatin because of their collagen-like structure at the single-stranded N-terminus and C-type lectins at the C-terminus. The word Collectin is the result of the condensation of the first two letters of collagen, CO, and lectin, into collagen. The number of single-stranded chains of the four gelatinous members above