Under native conditions PTX3 protomers are assembled to form multimers. The crystal structure of PTX3 has not been determined yet, however according to modeling, the PTX3 pentraxin domain well-accommodates on the tertiary fold of SAP, with almost all of the β-strands and the α-helical segments conserved. PTX3 behaves as an acute phase response protein, as the blood levels of PTX3, low in normal conditions (about 25 ng/mL in the mouse, < 2 ng/mL in humans), increase rapidly (peaking at 6–8 h after induction) and dramatically (200–800 ng/mL) during endotoxic shock, sepsis and other inflammatory and infectious conditions, correlating with the severity of the disease. PTX3 levels in cerebrospinal fluid help distinguishing between bacterial and aseptic meningoencephalitis. Under these conditions, PTX3 is a rapid marker for primary local activation of innate immunity and inflammation. Similar to other members of the pentraxin family PTX3 binds apoptotic cells, thereby inhibiting their recognition by DCs. Binding occurs late in the apoptotic process and enhances cytokine production by DCs. In addition, preincubation of apoptotic cells with PTX3 enhances C1q binding and C3 deposition on the cell surface, suggesting a role for PTX3 in the complement-mediated clearance of apoptotic cells. Moreover, in the presence of dying cells, PTX3 restricts the cross presentation of antigens derived from dying cells. These results suggest that PTX3 has a dual role: protection against pathogens and control of autoimmunity. Alan Entwistle  Alan Entwistle (March 10, 1949 – March 28, 1996) was a scholar of the Hindi language. He was a professor at the University of Washington. Entwistle was born on March 10, 1949, in Weymouth, England. He completed his undergraduate education with an honors Bachelor of Arts in French language at the University of Southampton in 1971. He then moved on to the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, completing a Master of Arts in South Asia Area Studies in 1975. In 1982 he completed his PhD in Hindi, writing a dissertation "The Rasa mana ke pada of Kevalarama, a medieval Hindi text of the Eighth Gaddi of the Vallabha Sampradaya". He was supervised by Professor J. C. Wright, Dr. R. D. Gupta and Dr. R. S. McGregor.