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The early components of human complement (C1, C4, and C2) plus certain serum euglobulins will kill pathogenic strains of Shigella sonnei. Serum from patients with hereditary C3 deficiencies and specific antiserums to C3, C5, and C6 were utilized to demonstrate the absence of requirements for late-acting complement components in this unusual bactericidal system.
Inhibition assays were used to investigate human serum antibodies to the meningococcal class 1 outer membrane proteins. We adapted the whole-cell enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique to determine the ability of sera to inhibit the binding of murine subtyping monoclonal antibodies. Serum samples from 33 South African subjects with a deficiency in the sixth component of complement as well as serum samples from various groups of complement-sufficient subjects were investigated. Subjects were subdivided according to whether they were (i) convalescent from Neisseria meningitidis infections, (ii) nonconvalescent, or (iii) controls. Preliminary subtyping investigations had shown that P1.2 was present on 36% of meningococcal clinical isolates from Cape Province, South Africa. Assays with the anti-P1.2 antibodies showed the presence of high antibody levels in many deficient sera and moderately elevated levels in some sera from the complement-sufficient convalescent patients. P1.2, P1.4, P1.15, and P1.16 are epitopes situated on loop 4 of the class 1 outer membrane proteins, whereas P1.7 is on loop 1. Inhibition assays showed that human sera that inhibited binding by P1.2 monoclonal antibodies tended to inhibit the other monoclonal antibodies directed to loop 4 epitopes. This suggests that the epitopes recognized by the human antibodies are not exactly the same as the epitopes recognized by the murine monoclonal antibodies and raises the possibility of the importance of other epitopes.
Collagens from various vertebrate tissues were tested for their ability to consume complement (C) activity upon incubation in human serum or with isolated components of complement. 10 of 12 collagens tested had anticomplementary activity. The heat-denatured form of collagen, gelatin, was found weakly anticomplementary, but elastin was found inactive in the interaction with C. Inactivation of C is a reaction which is dependent on the time of incubation and the collagen concentration and partially dependent on the temperature of incubation. Most collagens depleted C from human serum in presence of cation chelators, EDTA and EGTA, whereas the large part of anticomplementary activity of soluble collagens obtained from rat skin was abolished in presence of EDTA. Evidence is presented that two different principles in collagens play a role in inactivation of C. A factor, contained in insoluble collagens and inhibitable by mild oxidation with periodate, inactivates C1 directly even in presence of chelating agents. Another principle, contained in soluble and insoluble collagen and resistant to periodate treatment, depletes C in serum by utilization of C via the alternate pathway (the C3 shunt).
Our aim was to assess whether the amount of complement C3b/C4b receptors (CR1) on erythrocytes shows a correlation to disease activity in various connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and essential mixed cryoglobulinemia (EMC). Using an anti-CR1 monoclonal antibody, 26 patients with SLE, 34 with RA and 22 patients with EMC were investigated for erythrocyte CR1 expression. The control group consisted of 30 healthy individuals. The mean number of CR1/erythrocyte in the control group was 568 +/- 197 (range 174-1060), significantly higher than studied (EMC:379 +/- 248; p = 0.0005;SLE 147 +/- 56, p less than 0.0001; RA 298 +/- 177, p less than 0.0001). In patients with RA and in SLE, but not in patients with EMC, the number of CR1 numbers and anticardiolipin antibody (aCl) titers (r2 = 0.493; p = 0.034). A statistically significant correlation between CR1 numbers and CH50 values was found in patients with SLE, while in 3 patients with RA 4 months of therapy with cyclosporine A led to a further 30% reduction in CR1 number. Our conclusions are that (a) the decreased expression of erythrocyte CR1 is apparently a common feature of patients with various connective tissue diseases; (b) several acquired factors such as disease activity, complement activation, aCl and drugs may contribute to the loss of CR1 from erythrocytes; (c) in patients with RA and SLE, but not in patients with EMC, CR1 enumeration on erythrocytes may serve as a variable for clinical monitoring.
The potency of complement factor H (H) in accelerating the decay of the alternative pathway C3 convertase, C3b,Bb (decay-accelerating activity), was used as a measure of the affinity of native versus trypsin-treated H for the complement protein C3b bound to surfaces. When about 99% of H was cleaved at the primary tryptic cleavage site 34 kDa from the N-terminus, its decay-accelerating activity on C3b,Bb on sheep erythrocytes fell about 60-fold, whereas the trypsin-treated H was only 3-4 times less potent than native H in dissociating C3b,Bb on Sepharose 4B. The residual decay-accelerating activity, remaining after the primary cleavage, was not affected by secondary cleavage at a site 120 kDa from the N-terminus, as shown with H preparations cleaved to different degrees. Because cell surface sialic acid is known to be responsible for the high affinity of H for C3b bound on sheep erythrocytes, the results strongly suggest that the integrity of the primary tryptic cleavage site of H is essential for the recognition of sialic acid-containing surfaces by the C3b-H complex.
Comedones, the contents of acne lesions, were shown to consume scomplement hemolytic activity in normal serum. This consumption was stimulated by the addition of serum from patients with inflammatory acne. Absorption of acne serum with Propionibacterium acnes cells removed all stimulating activity. Immunoelectrophoretic analysis of serum incubated with comedones revealed the conversion of C3 and factor B in normal serum. The addition of acne serum resulted in cleavage of C4. In serum treated with ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid, only C3 and factor B were converted. This indicates that comedones may activate complement by either the classical or the alternative pathway. It is suggested that P. acnes cells in comedonal material are responsible for the complement activation.
In the course of methylcholanthrene induced carcinogenesis in rats, CIA50, C4 and C3 increased as compared with control and correlation of tumor size with increase in CIA50, C4 and C3 was observed. In the course of dimethylaminoazobenzen carcinogenesis of rats, complement level and C3 level decreased but in splenectomized rats fed by dimethylaminoazobenzen showed elevated level of complement system. After Corynebacterium infection, CIA50 and C3 of rats increased. This phenomenon is considered to be one of the essential factors to induce high resistance against tumor inoculation.
The degree of biocompatibility of biomaterials can be evaluated using various assay systems detecting activation of the blood cascade systems, leukocytes or platelets. Activation of complement is one mechanism associated with adverse effects observed when bioincompatible materials are used. We present data showing that the terminal complement complex, an indicator of terminal pathway activation, is suitable for evaluation of biocompatibility of biomaterials such as cardiopulmonary bypass devices. Furthermore, our results suggest that bioincompatibility is improved when artificial surfaces are modified with end point attached functionally active heparin.
Evidence has been obtained for the presence in human colostrum of all nine components of complement (C), C1 through C9, and factors of the alternative pathway. Samples of colostrums collected from five women at 1-4 days after normal parturition were assayed for the haemolytic activities of individual components. As compared with normal human sera, the activities of each component ranged from 0.03 to 7% of those in sera. The activities of C4, C7 and C9 were relatively high, while that of C1 was extremely low. In most of the cases, the activities of individual components gradually increased following delivery, when expressed as the activity per unit weight (g) of protein in the colostrum. When the colostrums were treated with cobra venom factor, most of the colostrums showed 10-20% reduction in the C3 activity. This finding indicates the presence of factors such as B and D which are involved in the activation of C through the alternative pathway. The role as a defense factor of the C system in human colostrum and milk is discussed in connection with the ability of secretory IgA to react with C.
A description is given of a new method for the estimation of complement fixing antibodies. This is a modification of the Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) to a Complement-Enzyme Linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (CILISA) using an anti-C3 conjugate. The method is independent of the haemolytic system. To test the sensitivity of CELISA, comparative studies were carried out with the Haemolytic Complement Fixation Test (CFT), indirect haemagglutination test and ELISA with sera from patients with Chagas' Disease. The results with CELISA showed significant correlations with CFT titers whereas no correlations were observed with the other serological tests.
The substances responsible for inhibiting complement-fixation (CF) reaction of the late-stage serum of an equine infectious anemia (EIA)-infected horse were investigated. It was found that the IgG and IgG(T) classes in the late-stage serum were responsible for the CF inhibition. IgA could not be detected in partially purified IgG(T) by an immunodiffusion test using rabbit anti-human IgA serum. Other serum components could not be demonstrated in purified IgG by immunoelectrophoresis using rabbit anti-horse serum. The IgG class simultaneously showed CF and CF-inhibiting (CFI) activities, whereas the IgG(T) class showed only CFI activity. The IgG(T) class could exert CFI activity only when it had been reacted with the EIA antigen before addition of the reference CF serum and complement. In contrast, the IgG class converted the CF-active reference serum into a non-CF-reactive one irrespective of whether it was simultaneously reacted with the EIA antigen and the reference CF serum, whether it was added to the reaction mixture of the EIA antigen and the reference CF serum, or whether it was sensitized with the EIA antigen before addition of the reference CF serum. Inhibitory activities of the IgG and IgG(T) classes seemed to be different from each other in their reaction pattern as far as tested under our experimental conditions. Their CFI activities seemed to be specific for EIA, being negative in CFI activity in reaction with other antigens.
Comparison of initial (early-phase) and terminal (late-phase) sequence activation of complement by agarose beads and endotoxin was evaluated in an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) of serum levels of C3c and C9 neoepitopes, respectively. EIA and Western blotting with anti-S protein monoclonal antibody revealed lower S protein values and weaker S protein bands in serum activated by agarose beads than by endotoxin, implying that S protein was removed from serum by binding to agarose. The binding of S protein to the beads was confirmed by radioimmunoassay and was found to be equal in normal and heat-inactivated serum. In contrast, the terminal complement complex was formed only on agarose beads incubated with normal serum and not with inactivated serum.
Activated plasma complement will induce biphasic aggregation of human granulocytes dectable by standard nephelometric techniques. The responsible active component was suggested to be C5a by molecular weight and heat-stability assays; moreover, aggragating activity was ablated by anti-C5 but not anti-C3 antibodies. C5a prepared by trypsinization of purified C5 reproduced the aggregating activity of whole activated plasma, whereas plasma from a C5-deficient donor did not support aggregation. Embolization of granulocyte aggregates might be a previously unsuspected cause of leukostasis and pulmonary damage in various clinical situations where intravascular complement activation occurs.
Sheep erythrocytes pretreated with supernatants of mouse spleen or thymus cells become resistant to lysis by guinea pig complement. The inhibitory activity (IA) reduces the utilization of C2 by EAC14. Because IA binds to the surface of sheep erythrocytes and does not inhibit C1 irreversibly, it is probably a hitherto undescribed inhibitor of complement.
C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is a large complex assembly of eight subunits that functions as an inhibitor of the complement cascade. A portion of the C4BP in serum exists as a complex with protein S. This study demonstrated that another protein, serum amyloid P component (SAP), also formed a calcium-dependent complex with C4BP. The C4BP.SAP complex was detected by several methods including light scattering intensity, gel filtration, and sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. This complex was of high affinity relative to serum levels of these proteins so that no dissociation was detected at 3% of serum protein concentrations. The C4BP.SAP complex was also detected in normal serum and the results suggested that there was virtually no free SAP or uncomplexed C4BP in normal serum. In addition to its complex with C4BP, SAP underwent other calcium-dependent associations such as binding to phospholipid vesicles and self-aggregation. Self-aggregation was highly cooperative with kinetics corresponding to a reaction that was 6th-order with respect to calcium and required about 1.5 mM calcium. In contrast, formation of the SAP.C4BP complex and interaction of SAP with membranes required only about 0.4 and 1.0 mM calcium, respectively. Thus, selection of the correct conditions allowed study of the SAP.C4BP interaction without interference from self-aggregation. All three of these interactions of SAP were mutually exclusive and the SAP. C4BP interaction appeared to be favored over self-aggregation or binding of SAP to phospholipids. It seems likely that the biologically dominant interaction for SAP is with C4BP. The SAP.C4BP complex interacted with protein S and these binding sites appeared to be entirely independent. Furthermore, SAP had little or no effect on the ability of C4BP to bind C4b. Finally, the entire complex of proteins (C4BP, SAP, protein S, and C4b) could associate with membranes in the presence of calcium. Membrane binding occurred through the protein S component. This rather complicated assemblage of proteins probably functions in a regulatory role for the complement cascade or other biological systems. It is possible that elevated levels of SAP or nonequivalent levels of SAP and C4BP could contribute to certain pathological conditions.
A glycoprotein was isolated from human plasma which partially inhibited C3 carrying erythrocytes from binding to complement receptor cells (CR+C). Based on its physicochemical characteristics and its antigenicity this glycoprotein was identified as alpha 1-antitrypsin (alpha 1-AT). The activity of alpha 1-AT towards C3 and its fragments was unaffected by heating but it was destroyed by periodic acid. The isolated carbohydrate moiety of alpha 1-AT showed the same effect as the intact molecule. Using F(ab)2 of IgG-anti-alpha 1-AT could be demonstrated on Raji cells and human erythrocytes. Treatment of these CR+C with IgG-anti-alpha 1-AT resulted in a blockade of their C3 receptor activity. The results suggest, that alpha 1-AT interacts through its carbohydrate portion with C3 and its fragments and functions as a complement receptor molecule.
Chondroitin sulphate was used to isolate from plasma a system that clotted with Russell's viper venom, brain extract and activated contact factors. Clotting appeared to depend on concomitant change in C4, C3 and C1s in the system. Brain extract additionally reacted with C9. Reconstitution of specifically defective plasmas suggested a specific role for each of these complement components in clotting.
The relationships between the haemolytic activities of complement and its components were studied. The activities studied included CH50 (classical pathway), AP50 (alternative pathway), CV50 (early part of alternative pathway) and C(3--9)H50 ((the late part of both pathways). The components included C3, C4, C5, C9, B and D. There was a good correlation between CH50 and AP50. AP50 had a good correlation with B and CV50. There was no correlation between AP50 and C(3--9)H50, and none between C(3--9)H50 and C5 or C9. AP50 may primarily represent changes in the early part of the alternative pathway. C(3--9)H50 is not influenced by respective changes in the amounts of C5 or C9. Since cell lesion is now considered to be caused by a unit of C5b to C9, a change in each component of C5 to C9 may not influence haemolytic activity.