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Biomedical subjects

M K Pangburn

Publications and source records attributed to M K Pangburn.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Initiation of the alternative complement pathway due to spontaneous hydrolysis of the thioester of C3.

Initiation of the alternative pathway of complement involves the random attachment of C3b on all biological particles in contact with plasma. This process requires continuous proteolytic generation of metastable C3b. The responsible protease arises as a result of conformational changes in C3 that occur upon thioester hydrolysis. The product, C3(H2O), is functionally C3b-like and forms a C3 convertase with Factors B and D. The resulting biomolecular enzyme, C3(H2O),Bb, is a serine protease that cleaves C3 generating metastable C3b. The rate of spontaneous generation of C3(H2O) under physiological conditions is between 0.2 and 0.4%/hr. C3(H2O),Bb produces only three to five metastable C3b molecules per enzyme before being inactivated by regulatory proteins. The thioester bond in metastable C3b has been estimated to be 10(10) times more reactive than that in native C3 and mediates attachment of C3b to biological particles. Once bound, C3b is subject to two competing processes: (1) inactivation and (2) a chain reaction-like amplification process that can deposit large numbers of C3b molecules on the particles within a very short period of time after the initial C3b binds. On activators of the alternative pathway, inactivation of C3b is restricted and amplification of C3b results in activation of the cytolytic pathway of complement.

Complement Activation↗
PubMed1983

Activation of complement via the alternative pathway.

Activation of complement via the alternative pathway represents one means of natural resistance to infection because it is capable of neutralizing a wide variety of potential pathogens in the total absence of antibody. The pathway involves six serum proteins and possesses a unique amplification system capable of depositing large numbers of C3b molecules on the surfaces of activating particles. C3b deposition enhances phagocytosis and results in activation of the membrane attack pathway of complement. C3b attachment is covalent, arising from a reaction between an intramolecular thiolester bond in nascent C3b and nucleophiles such as hydroxyl groups on surface carbohydrates. The reactions that initiate C3b attachment are not specific interactions like those initiating other biological cascade systems, but involve slow, spontaneous hydrolysis of the thiolester bond in C3 and subsequent random deposition of C3b onto all nearby surfaces. Once bound, C3b is capable of discriminating between host-derived cells and activating particles. Recognition is evidenced by a lower affinity between activator-bound C3b and the complement control protein factor H. Measurements of the association constant between unbound, soluble C3b and factor H suggest that activator-bound C3b recognizes structures on activators that inhibit factor H binding.

Complement C3↗
PubMed1983

C3b deposition during activation of the alternative complement pathway and the effect of deposition on the activating surface.

Examination of C3b deposition on the surface of activators during alternative pathway activation revealed three temporal phases: a lag phase, an amplification phase, and a heretofore uncharacterized plateau phase. During the plateau phase no C3b deposition appeared to occur even in the presence of an excess of alternative pathway components. Double label experiments, however, revealed that the plateau was a steady state between continued C3b deposition and release of C3b or C3bi from the activator. Under conditions of excess complement it was found that deposition of increasing numbers of C3b molecules caused a gradual increase in the ability of Factors H and I to inactivate newly deposited C3b; i.e., the deposited C3b converted the activator into a nonactivator. The data indicate that the surface of rabbit erythrocytes is rendered completely nonactivating when 2.4 X 10(6) molecules of C3b plus C3bi are bound per cell. The plateau of C3b deposition appears to represent the maximum steady state level maintainable by a given concentration of complement components, and it also reflects conversion of an activating surface to one resembling a nonactivator.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Breakdown of C3 after complement activation. Identification of a new fragment C3g, using monoclonal antibodies.

The physiological breakdown of C3 has been studied using monoclonal anti-C3 antibodies, and it has been found that the later stages of this process--the breakdown of C3bi--is more complex than had previously been recognized. C3bi is the reaction product produced from C3b by the action of factor I which, in the presence of factor H, produces a double cleavage in the alpha chain of C3b. It is here reported that, both on cells and in the fluid phase, the breakdown of C3bi in serum gives rise to two products: C3c and the product previously described as alpha 2D, which we now propose to designate C3d,g. Alpha 2D differs from C3d in that it contains an additional fragment of approximately 8,000 mol wt that carries the antigenic determinant for the clone 9 monoclonal anti-C3 antibody. C3g cannot be precipitated by anti-C3 antisera and therefore behaves as a uni- or bideterminant antigen. The cleavage of C3d,g to C3d and C3g does not occur in sterile serum. It is also still uncertain what enzyme cleaves C3bi to C3c and C3d,g in plasma. Plasmin can do so in vitro, but plasminogen-depleted serum can still produce the cleavage. The antigenic determinant recognized by clone 9 in C3 is not exposed in C3 or C3b, but appears as a neoantigen in C3bi (and in C3d,g). Anti-C3g therefore is a potentially useful ligand for detecting complement-activation products. C3g represents a new, highly anionic C3 fragment and seems not to be identical with the C3e fragment described by others.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Formation of the initial C3 convertase of the alternative complement pathway. Acquisition of C3b-like activities by spontaneous hydrolysis of the putative thioester in native C3.

Activation of the alternative pathway of complement commences with the formation of an initial fluid-phase C3 convertase. Treatment of C3 with the nucleophilic reagent methylamine has previously been shown to result in the cleavage of an intramolecular thioester bond and to induce C3b-like properties, including the ability to form a fluid-phase C3 convertase. This report examines the hypothesis that spontaneous hydrolysis of the thioester generates a derivative of C3 that is responsible for the formation of the initial C3 convertase of the alternative pathway. The rate of spontaneous decay of C3 hemolytic activity in buffer was found to be between 0.2 and 0.4%/h. In the presence of other alternative pathway proteins, the rate of inactivation was 1%/h. The rate of spontaneous inactivation was greatly accelerated by low concentrations of chaotrophic agents such as KSCN or guanidine. Liberation of a sulfhydryl group, not present in native C3, correlated with loss of hemolytic activity, indicating that exposure to chaotropic agents resulted in thioester hydrolysis. Unlike native C3, C3 bearing a single reactive sulfhydryl group was capable of generating fluid-phase C3 convertase with Factors B, D, and P and was cleaved by Factor I (C3b inactivator) in the presence of Factor H (beta 1H). The fragmentation patterns indicated that the C3a domain was covalently associated with the functionally C3b-like C3. Organomercurial agarose was employed for the rapid removal of sulfhydryl-bearing, hemolytically inactive forms of C3 and C3b from native hemolytically active C3.

Complement Activating Enzymes↗
PubMed1981

Nucleophilic modification of human complement protein C3: correlation of conformational changes with acquisition of C3b-like functional properties.

Inactivation of C3 by enzymatic cleavage, nucleophilic addition, or slow freezing and thawing resulted in the acquisition of similar end-state conformations as judged by near-UV circular dichroism. Although inactivation by the two nonenzymatic processes involves no peptide bond scission, the inactivated C3 resembled C3b in that it possessed a free sulfhydryl group not present in the native protein and an increased surface hydrophobicity as evidenced by enhanced binding of the fluorophore 8-anilino-1-naphthalensulfonate (ANS). The C3b-like functional properties of modified C3 [Pangburn, M. K., & Müller-Eberhard, H. J. (1980) J. Exp. Med. 152, 1102-1114] may thus be understood in terms of the similarity of its conformation to that of C3b. The rate of the conformational change following proteolytic cleavage was fast and appeared to be limited by the rate of the enzymatic reaction. In contrast, the rate of conformational change following addition of methylamine was slow and rate limited by the conformational rearrangement itself, not by the chemical modification. A kinetic analysis of the changes in circular dichroism and ANS fluorescence enhancement suggested that the nucleophilic addition was spectroscopically undetectable and was followed by a minimally biphasic, spectroscopically demonstrable conformational rearrangement. The appearance of C3b-like functional activity in nucleophile-modified C3 largely parallels the time course of the spectroscopically detectable conformational change but is distinctly slower than the rate at which hemolytic activity is lost. While fully transconformed methylamine-inactivated C3 can bind factor B and is susceptible to cleavage by C3b inactivator and its cofactor beta 1H, this cleavage occurs at a substantially slower rate than the equivalent process in C3b. The implications of these findings in terms of the mechanism through which the alterative pathway of complement is initiated are discussed.

Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates↗
PubMed1981

C3 modified at the thiolester site: acquisition of reactivity with cellular C3b receptors.

Isolated human C3 protein has been reported to have variable affinity for cellular C3b receptors. The question was investigated therefore as to whether native C3 or a derivative form of the protein exhibits receptor affinity. It was found that native C3 lacks the ability to react with C3b receptors. However, C3 modified at the thiolester site, either by treatment with chaotropic agents or methylamine or by freezing and thawing, expressed inhibitory activity in the C3b-mediated rosetting assay or immune adherence. The extent of inhibition was comparable to that caused by C3b. The ability of modified C3 to react with cellular C3b receptors constitutes an additional functional property of C3b-like C3.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Relation of putative thioester bond in C3 to activation of the alternative pathway and the binding of C3b to biological targets of complement.

The reaction of [14C]methylamine with native human C3 led to the stoichiometric incorporation of methylamine, loss of hemolytic activity, and the concomitant exposure of a sulfhydryl group that could be labeled with [14C]iodoacetamide. Both labeled sites were located in the C3d portion of the alpha-chain, which is known to contain the metastable binding of C3b. The methylamine-modified C3 [C3(CH3NH2)] was shown to exhibit many of the functional properties of C3b, although the C3a portion of the molecule remained covalently attached. C3(CH3NH2) bound Factor B and beta 1H, and could be cleaved by C3b inactivator in the presence of beta 1H. C3(CH3NH2) added to human serum caused activation of the alternative pathway and consumption of C3. In presence of Factors B and D and Mg++, C3(CH2NH2) formed a C3 convertase. The convertase-forming material could be removed from solution by anti-C3a Sepharose and the preformed convertase was completely inhibited by purified antibody to C3a. This antibody did not affect the function of the C3 convertase that contained C3b. Similar functional properties were exhibited by C3 exposed for short periods of time to relatively low concentrations of chaotropic reagents, such as KSCN or guanidine. These results suggest that the initial C3 convertase of the alternative pathway may be formed from native C3, without proteolysis, by the attack of a variety of nucleophiles including water. The C3 convertase formed from this altered C3 then generates by proteolytic cleavage the initial metastable C3b that is capable of attaching to receptive surfaces. Conversion of C3 to C3b exposes one sulfhydryl residue as does modification of C3 with methylamine. When the C3d portion of C3b bound to zymosan particles via the metastable binding site was treated with radiolabeled methylamine, the fragment was released from the particles in radiolabeled form. These findings are consistent with the concept that native C3 contains an active carbonyl group, probably in the form of a thioester, which can either react with water to form functionally C3b-l;ike C3 or, upon enzymatic conversion of C3 to C3b, allows C3b to form an ester bond with hydroxyl groups on the target surface.

Complement Activation↗
PubMed1980

Metabolism of C4 and factor B in rheumatoid arthritis. Relation to rheumatoid factor.

Metabolic turnover determined by radioiodide labeled C4 and Factor B was studied in 18 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 19 normal control subjects as a means of estimating the relative ratio of consumption of components in the classical and alternative pathways of complement activation. Predominance of fractional catabolic rate (FCR) of C4 over Factor B was demonstrated with differentially labeled C4 and Factor B. The hypercatabolism occurred in the extravascular space. C4 FCR correlated significantly with rheumatoid factor (RF) determined in a hemolytic assay (rs = 0.72), measured as IgG RF (rs = 0.57), and as IgM RF (rs = 0.45). There were no significant correlations with several other antibodies measured. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that RA is a systemic, extravascular immune complex disease, in which RF immune complexes play a significant pathogenetic role principally via activation of the classical pathway of complement.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

Complement C3 convertase: cell surface restriction of beta1H control and generation of restriction on neuraminidase-treated cells.

The alternative or properdin pathway of complement is primarily controlled by the endopeptidase C3b inactivator (C3bINA) and the nonproteolytic glycoprotein beta1H. The molecular mechanisms of control were investigated by performing binding studies of radiolabeled complement proteins to C3b bearing sheep erythrocytes (E(S)C3b). C3b was found to have distinct binding sites for beta1H, C3bINA, Factor B, and properdin. beta1H binding increased C3bINA binding 30-fold, while Factor B binding prevented C3bINA action on C3b and was competitive with beta1H binding. Properdin binding, which facilitates Factor B interaction with C3b, had no effect on the beta1H and C3bINA sites. Activators such as rabbit erythrocytes (E(R)) have previously been shown to interfere with the effectiveness of the control by C3bINA and beta1H, thereby allowing unrestricted formation of C3 convertase. Such restriction of control does not occur on the surface of E(S), a nonactivator of the alternative pathway. On the basis of comparative binding studies, restriction of control is explained entirely by reduced binding of beta1H to E(R)C3b relative to E(S)C3b. Access of properdin, Factor B, C3bINA, and the Fab fragment of anti-C3 to the two cell types was unrestricted. Restriction of beta1H control could be generated on the surface of E(S) by removal of cell-surface sialic acid with neuraminidase (acylneuraminyl hydrolase; EC 3.2.1.18). This enzymatic treatment converted E(S) from a nonactivator to an activator of the alternative pathway.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1978

Initiation of the alternative pathway of complement: recognition of activators by bound C3b and assembly of the entire pathway from six isolated proteins.

An intact alternative pathway of complement activation was assembled from six isolated proteins present at their respective physiological concentrations (C3, 1200 microgram/ml: factor B, 200 microgram/ml; factor D, 2 microgram/ml; beta1H, 560 microgram/ml; C3b inactivator, 34 microgram/ml; and native properdin, 20 microgram/ml). Initiation of the pathway required the presence of five of these proteins not including properdin. The initial C3 convertase of the system was shown to be a fluid-phase rather than a surface-bound enzyme. The ability of the pathway to discriminate between activator and nonactivator was found to reside in the bound C3b molecule. When bound to the surface of an activator through its labile binding site, C3b interacts with surface structures of the activator through another site on the molecule. This interaction results in diminished beta1H binding to C3b and thereby allows the bound C3b molecule to escape control and participate in C3 convertase formation. Thus, initiation of the alternative pathway is a two-step process, the first being non-specific and the second being discriminatory.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1977

Human complement C3b inactivator: isolation, characterization, and demonstration of an absolute requirement for the serum protein beta1H for cleavage of C3b and C4b in solution.

The complement regulatory enzyme, C3b inactivator (C3bINA), has been purified from human serum by affinity chromatography on an anti-C3bINA Sepharose column. Subsequent chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and removal of IgG with anti-IgG Sepharose resulted in a product which was found to be homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis at pH 8.9 and by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecule is composed of two disulfide bonded polypeptide chains with mol wt of 50,000 and 38,000 daltons. Human CobINA was found to be a glycoprotein containing at least 10.7% carbohydrate and to have a normal serum concentration of 34 +/- 7 mug/ml (mean +/- 1 SD). Highly purified C3bINA cleaved neither free C3b nor free C4b if trace amounts of contaminating beta1H were removed from these proteins with anti-beta1H Sepharose. However, in the presence of highly purified beta1H and C3bINA, both C3bIna, both C3b and C4b were cleaved. Incubation of native C3 or C4 with C3bINA and beta1H had no effect on their cleaved. Incubation of native C3 or C4 with C3bINA and beta1H had no effect on their structure. The action of C3bINA and beta1H on C3b produced two fragments of the alpha1-chain which did not dissociate without reduction of the molecule. These fragments have mol wt of 67,000 and 40,000 daltons. The action of C3bINA and beta1H on C4b resulted in cleavage of the alpha'-chain giving rise to the 150,000-dalton C4c and the 49,000-dalton C4d fragments which dissociated without reduction. To produce from C3b the immunochemically defined C3c and C3d, fragments, the action of an additional serum enzyme appears to be required, the effect of which can be mimicked by trypsin.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1976

Thermal stability of homologous neutral metalloendopeptidases in thermophilic and mesophilic bacteria: structural considerations.

Thermolysin and neutral protease A are neutral metalloendopeptidases having similar specificity, molecular weight, metal content, and amino acid composition. Thermolysin, derived from the thermophilic organism Bacillus thermoproteolyticus, is heat inactivated at about 84 degrees whereas neutral protease A, derived from the mesophilic organism Bacillus subtilis, is inactivated at about 59 degrees. Structural analyses reveal that the two enzymes are homologous. Of the 326 residues of neutral protease A, 171 have been placed in sequence and 49% of these have been found in identical loci in thermolysin. These include many of the residues corresponding to the active site of thermolysin. The sensitivity of both enzymes to thermal inactivation is dependent upon the presence of calcium and neutral protease appears to bind less calcium than thermolysin. Structural data indicate that many of the ligands associated with calcium sites 1 and 2 (double site of thermolysin) are present in neutral protease and that calcium site 4 cannot exist in neutral protease. The structural homology and functional analogy of these two proteins support the concept that they have similar conformations. The known structure of thermolysin is used as a model to discuss structural differences which might be related to thermal stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1975

Evidence of homologous relationship between thermolysin and neutral protease A of Bacillus subtilis.

A comparison of the partial amino-acid sequence of neutral protease A from Bacillus subtilis with the structure of thermolysin (EC 3.4.24.4) from Bacillus thermoproteolyticus reveals that these two proteins are homologous. Of 171 residues placed in neutral protease (54% of the sequence), 83 residues (49%) occur in identical positions in thermolysin, and include nine of the 13 residues previously identified as components of the active site of thermolysin. This similarity provides support for the hypothesis that the two enzymes have similar three-dimensional structures and a common mechanism of action. Since these enzymes differ markedly in their resistance to heat inactivation, a comparison of their structures may eventually provide a chemical basis for explaining the differences in their thermal stability.

Amino Acid Sequence↗