Serum amyloid P-component can interact with DNA and histones and may scavenge nuclear material released from damaged circulating cells. The identical serum form of amyloid P component (AP), a highly preserved plasma protein named for its ubiquitous presence in amyloid deposits. As a normal plasma protein first identified as the pentagonal constituent of in vivo pathological deposits called "amyloid". Serum amyloid P component represents another member of the pentraxin family, a highly conserved group of molecules that may play a role in innate immunity.