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Interactions between earthworm hemolysins and sheep red blood cell membranes.

The hemolytic activity exhibited by the coelomic fluid of the Annelid Eisenia fetida andrei is mediated by two lipoproteins of mass 40 and 45 kDa, each of them capable of hemolysis. Such an activity is not inhibited by zymosan, inulin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), nor by hydrazine or methylamine, suggesting that earthworm hemolysins are not related to C3 or C3b complement components. Among the membrane lipids tested (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, sphingomyelin and cholesterol) only sphingomyelin inhibited hemolysis. The analysis of E.f. andrei proteins bound to sphingomyelin microvesicles, as well as to sheep red blood cell (SRBC) membranes, revealed a polymerization of E.f. andrei 40 kDa and/or 45 kDa hemolysins. Consequently, sphingomyelin appears a likely candidate for hemolytic complex receptor. Electron microscopy observations suggested that the polymerization causes an open channel through the lipid bilayer. As demonstrated using metal ions, heparin, chondroitin sulfate, poly(L-lysine) and protamine chloride, the mode of action of earthworm hemolytic complex is not analogous to that of C9 or perforine.

Animals↗

Reinvestigations into the formation and assay of C3bBbP complexes.

C3bBbP complex formation was studied by an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Microtitre plates were coated with anti-P to trap the complexes and peroxidase labelled anti-C3 was used to detect them with the help of substrates of peroxidase. Incubation of normal serum pool (NSP) at 37 degrees C in the presence of high concentrations (greater than or equal to 0.5 mmol/l) of Mg2+, usually used in alternative pathway (AP) assay systems, caused the generation of C3bBbP complexes. This generation was not observed when NSP was incubated in the presence of low Mg2+ concentration (less than or equal to 0.2 mmol/l) or EDTA. The concentration of Mg2+ required for maximum complex formation was 2.0 mmol/l under the experimental conditions. Complexes could not be generated in B-depleted serum. Incubation of NSP with endotoxin or CoVF in the presence of 0.2 mmol/l Mg2+ caused the generation of the complexes. The generation was influenced by ionic strength in the incubation mixture. Endotoxin and Mg2+-dependent generation of complexes could not be detected when peroxidase-labelled anti-B was used instead of peroxidase-labelled anti-C3. Serum incubated with 0.2 mmol/l Mg2+ or EDTA apparently detected in vivo formed complexes whereas that incubated with 0.2 mmol/l Mg2+ and endotoxin reflected the complex forming capacity of the serum. The serum of a patient with Raynaud's phenomenon having 45% of normal AP activity did not show increased amounts of preformed complexes but had the ability to generate the complexes to a level of about 45% of that attainable by NSP. These observations suggest that the ELISA used here has the potential of detecting activation as well as the integrity of the AP under carefully controlled conditions.

Complement C3↗

Trypanosoma lewisi: restriction of alternative complement pathway C3/C5 convertase activity.

The rat parasite Trypanosoma lewisi was incubated in vitro with rat or human serum, washed, and extracted in detergent. Extracts were fractionated by electrophoresis in denaturing gels, transferred to nitrocellulose, allowed to renature, then immunoblotted with polyclonal antibodies to rat complement component C3 and human complement components C3, C5, and factor B. Molecules that reacted with these antibodies were detected in the extracts. Fragments of rat C3 were detected in extracts of parasites that had not been exposed to serum in vitro. Additional complement deposition occurred during in vitro incubations; human complement components deposited in vitro could be distinguished from rat components deposited in vivo. Complement deposition in vitro required magnesium ions and did not occur when heat inactivated serum was used. Components reacting with antibodies to human C3 included a group of bands with molecular weights higher than C3 alpha or beta chains. Blotting with affinity purified, chain specific antibodies demonstrated that a 68 kDa component on parasites is C3 beta and that a 44 kDa molecule is derived from C3 alpha. A 73 kDa component that was difficult to resolve from C3 beta is probably also a C3 alpha fragment. This suggests that an inactive iC3b-like molecule is present on parasites. Kinetic studies showed that cleavage of C3 alpha is rapid and that the amount of C3 alpha fragments and C3 beta on intact parasites reached a steady state after 15 min. When parasites were trypsinized prior to incubation in C5 or C6 deficient serum, the rate and extent of C3 and C5 deposition increased. Unprocessed C3 alpha' and C5 alpha' chains were detected. Trypsinized parasites were lysed by the alternative complement pathway in normal serum. Intact parasites could be lysed by complement in the presence of antibody. The data support our previous suggestion that trypsin sensitive surface proteins on intact T. lewisi limit alternative pathway activity by restricting C3/C5 convertase activity.

Animals↗

Solubilization of immune precipitates by complement in the absence of properdin or factor D.

Various experiments have demonstrated that immune precipitates (IPs) are not solubilized by complement in the absence of alternative pathway function. To determine whether the characteristics of the IPs were responsible for these observations, we studied the solubilization (Sol) of IPs formed by bovine serum albumin (BSA)-rabbit antiBSA and tetanus toxoid (TT)-human antiTT. Sera deficient in properdin solubilized a fraction of BSA-antiBSA precipitates, although only when the IPs were formed in antibody excess. The same sera solubilized TT-antiTT precipitates with some delay but almost as efficiently as normal serum. Factor D-depleted serum solubilized a fraction of TT-antiTT precipitates too, indicating that Sol may proceed through activation of the classical pathway only. Thus, the requirements for complement-mediated Sol depend on the characteristics of the IPs and do not necessarily include alternative pathway function.

Antibodies↗

Activation of the alternative pathway of complement by apoptotic Jurkat cells.

Jurkat T cells die of apoptosis upon exposure to anti-Fas mAb. Here we show that although the alternative complement pathway generally does not attack homologous cells, anti-Fas-induced apoptotic Jurkat T cells were attacked antibody-independently by the alternative pathway of human complement and opsonized with iC3b, which is a ligand of the complement receptor type 3 (CR3) of phagocytes. These results suggest that apoptotic cells become the targets of the homologous alternative complement pathway, which facilitates the clearance of apoptotic cells by phagocytes.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Detection of the terminal complement complex in patient plasma following acute myocardial infarction.

The mechanisms of inflammation responsible for the myocardial tissue damage seen after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have not been clearly identified. Recent lines of evidence, demonstrating depressed sera levels of individual complement components in patients after myocardial infarction, have suggested involvement of the complement (C) system in micro- and macrovascular injury subsequent to AMI. The present study assessed the role of complement as a mediator of myocardial inflammation by quantifying products of complement activation including, the terminal complement complex (TCC) the cytolytic component of the complement system, C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex and C3bBbP complex, formed following activation of the classical and alternative pathway, respectively, and anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a in 41 patients following AMI. Plasma TCC and C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex concentrations increased up to 32-fold (P less than 0.001) and 8-fold (P less than 0.001), respectively, while the C3bBbP complex, C3a des-Arg and C5a des-Arg each increased over 2-fold (P less than 0.001) 16 h after AMI, and were only minimally detectable during non-inflammatory myocardial conditions. Furthermore, TCC concentrations increased over 150% (P less than 0.001) one day after patients reinfarcted, subsequent to hospitalization for a primary AMI. These results demonstrate activation of complement after AMI and suggest that inflammatory mediators of the complement system may contribute to myocardial tissue damage during the infarction process.

Adult↗

Activation of the third component of complement (C3) detected by a monoclonal anti-C3'g' neoantigen antibody in a one-step enzyme immunoassay.

A previously produced and characterized rat monoclonal antibody recognizing a neoantigen in the human C3'g' fragment was used as the capture antibody in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Detection was made using a polyclonal rabbit anti-human C3d and a peroxidase-linked anti-rabbit Ig antiserum. The activity in normal human EDTA plasma was found to be 3% of that in a zymosan-activated serum pool. Fractionation experiments revealed that most of the activity in normal plasma, in vivo activated plasma and in vitro activated serum eluted in one peak with a molecular weight corresponding to iC3b. A positive correlation (P less than 0.01) was found between the present assay and a previously established two-step C3d ELISA both with respect to normal plasma, individual patient samples and consecutively drawn samples following artificial in vivo activation. Complement activation assays based on specific antibodies to 'activation antigens' should be preferred whenever available since they enable direct, rapid and specific quantification of the actual fragment(s).

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

A new method for the estimation of C3d. Affinity clearance of C-determinant-bearing C3 molecules and fragments followed by estimation of C3d by ELISA.

A method is described to quantitate human complement fragment C3d. Test samples were treated with a predetermined excess of anti-C3c-Sepharose beads in the presence of EDTA to remove all the C-determinant-bearing C3 molecules or fragments. C3d left in the supernatant was then estimated by ELISA. Using this method, C3d could be estimated accurately in normal plasma samples. A good correlation (r = 0.93) was observed between C3d values obtained by this method and values obtained by the widely used method of Perrin and coworkers. The average C3d plasma concentration was 2.8 mg/l (SD = 0.7 mg/l, n = 21). The interassay coefficient of variation using a normal plasma pool (C3d 2.7 mg/l) was 8.3% and using normal plasma pools in which the C3d concentrations were raised to 10.3 and 17.4 mg/l by the addition of aged normal serum the levels were 8.0 and 7.5% respectively. Intra-assay coefficients of variation with these samples were 4.6, 3.0 and 2.8%, respectively. 16 patients with renal dysfunction had C3d levels in the range of 4.3-10.0 mg/l and 15 patients undergoing continued ambulant peritoneal dialysis had levels of 3.3-12.2 mg/l. The C3d content in peritoneal dialysate of patients undergoing dialysis varied from 9.3 to 383 micrograms/l.

Antibody Specificity↗

Detection of C3bBb-stabilizing activity (C3 nephritic factor) in the serum from patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis.

It is known that membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), hypocomplementaemia and C3 nephritic factor (C3NeF) are closely related to each other, and the presence or absence of C3NeF in the serum is important for evaluating the nature of MPGN. However, some difficulties have been encountered in detecting this factor and therefore a new assay permitting the direct detection of C3NeF without purifying IgG from the patient's serum has been devised. Using this assay method, C3bBb-stabilizing activity was observed even in sera from MPGN patients who were non-hypocomplementaemic. Furthermore, among 98 cases with hypocomplementaemia. C3NeF was found to be absent in 66 cases.

Complement C3 Convertase, Alternative Pathway↗

A flow cytometric assay for measuring complement receptor 1 (CR1) and the complement fragments C3d and C4d on erythrocytes.

A flow cytometric assay (FCA) was developed to measure complement receptor 1 (CR1) and the complement fragments C3d and C4d on erythrocytes. It was possible to measure these parameters accurately with intra- and interassay coefficients of variation of 2.0% and 6.5% respectively. The method was able to discriminate between low and high levels of erythrocyte CR1, C3d and C4d. Comparison with a previously described RIA method gave excellent correlation coefficients with r2 values of 0.94, 0.93 and 0.91 for CR1, C3d and C4d respectively. The flow cytometric assay was used to measure CR1, C3d and C4d on the erythrocytes of 98 healthy individuals and the 95% upper limits for C3d and C4d were established. There was a wide distribution of CR1 levels amongst these individuals but their C3d and C4d levels were low and often not above background. The possible application of this method in clinical medicine is discussed.

Antigens, CD↗

Complement activation occurs through both classical and alternative pathways prior to onset and resolution of adult respiratory distress syndrome.

We have previously reported that plasma concentrations of the terminal complement (C) complex (TCC), C5b-9, increased significantly 2 days prior to onset of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and also 1 day preceding its resolution. To determine the pathway of complement activation that preceded development and resolution of this acute inflammatory lung injury in septic patients, we quantified the C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex and the C3bP complex, which are generated following activation of classical and alternative complement pathways, respectively. Two days prior to diagnosis of ARDS, the plasma C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex and C3bP complex levels increased 22 and 14%, respectively. Furthermore, significant correlations were identified between concentrations of the TCC and C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex (r = 0.73, P = 0.003) and also with the levels of the TCC and C3bP complex (r = 0.81, P = 0.002) before onset of ARDS. Equally of interest, the C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex and C3bP complex concentrations increased 68 and 35%, respectively, 1 day before resolution of ARDS. Similarly, significant elevations of TCC concentrations preceding resolution of ARDS correlated with C1rC1s-C1 inhibitor complex (r = 0.66, P = 0.02) and also with C3bP complex (r = 0.72, P = 0.002) levels. Our results indicate that both the classical and alternative complement pathways are activated prior to onset of ARDS and also before its resolution in septic patients.

Complement Activating Enzymes↗

Classical pathway complement activation in Kawasaki syndrome.

In this study the complement breakdown products C3d, C4d, Bb and membrane attack complex were measured in plasma of patients with Kawasaki syndrome. The results suggested strong activation of the classical activation pathway. However, there was no significant decrease in hemolytic titer or in the concentrations of the intact proteins C3, C4, and B. The relationship between the serum concentrations of cytokines and complement components was examined; increased interleukin-6 concentration on the fifth day after the onset of fever was found to correlate well with the C3 and B concentrations in serum obtained 5 days later. We conclude that complement activation occurred in Kawasaki syndrome via the classical pathway but that the inflammatory reaction was accompanied by increased production of complement components. As a result, there was increased formation of activation products without changes in the serum complement levels.

Child, Preschool↗

Complement activation by 3-mercapto-1,2-propanediol immobilized on gold surfaces.

Thiol-modified surfaces are chemically well defined and suited for surface biological model experiments and biomaterials research. 3-Mercapto-1,2-propanediol (mercaptoglycerol, MG), immobilized on gold, spontaneously binds immunoglobulins from human serum and activates the complement system. The surface-bound complement factors were detected by ellipsometry-antibody techniques. The overall complement activation was subsequently corroborated independently with enzyme immunosorbent assay (EIA) and sheep and chicken erythrocyte haemolytic complement techniques. EIA experiments indicated elevated levels of C4d, but no significant increase of factor Bb was evident in the test serum from the MG system. The haemolytic assays show that MG surfaces consume complement factors from both pathways. Ellipsometry revealed that immunoglobulin G (IgG) and complement factor 1q (C1q) are transiently antibody detectable on MG after exposure to whole serum by the use of antibody techniques. Complement factor 3 (C3), C2, C4 and properdin could be detected on the surface, but not factors H and B. The total adsorbed mass and particularly C3 antibody deposition were suppressed by using EGTA-Mg2+ serum. The results suggest that MG surfaces initially activate complement via the classical pathway. Other IgG binding surfaces also appear to behave in a similar manner.

Animals↗