[Factor I deficiency, a regulator protein of complement].
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Acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (AGN) differed from membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) and lupus nephritis (SLE) in that two of the proteins that control the C3b-dependent convertase, beta 1H and the C3bC4b-inactivator cofactor (C3bC4bICo), were frequently absent from the glomerular deposits. In addition, factor B was distributed with C3 in the capillary walls in hypocomplementemic AGN patients. From this, it can be assumed that C3bBb is in the deposits, uninhibited by control proteins as would be predicted for alternative pathway activation. Factor B could not be found in normocomplementemic AGN, was rarely present in MPGN, but was usually present in SLE, most often in the mesangium. In MPGN and SLE, the control proteins were nearly always present in the glomeruli in a distribution like that of C3; IN MPGN they were particularly abundant. Complement profiles indicated an occasional transient reduction in serum C4 level early in AGN. Thus, although there is occasional evidence of early classical activation in AGN, more characteristic is a long period of alternative activation. Serum levels of control proteins did not deviate greatly from normal except for reduced serum beta 1H levels in MPGN type I.
Otitis media with effusion (OME) is a common disease in childhood. It is characterized by chronic inflammation in which the proinflammatory activity of the complement (C) system is one of the underlying factors. The C system becomes strongly activated in the middle ear effusion (MEE) fluid, but the reasons for this are not known. Here we demonstrate by using complement Bb fragment ELISA that MEE specimens strongly activate the alternative C pathway (AP) in normal human serum (NHS). Some of the MEEs were also found to promote lysis of rabbit erythrocytes by NHS. These findings indicated a disturbance in the fluid-phase regulation of the AP in MEE. The main regulator of the AP, factor H (FH), and proteins structurally related to it (FHL-1, FHR-1, -2, -3, and -4) were present in the MEE fluids of OME patients. Relative to serum, the FHR proteins were more abundant in the MEEs. In addition, we detected the recently discovered 65-kDa FH-related protein FHR-5 in the MEE. The FHR proteins share binding sites with FH in the C3d region of C3b. Thus they may compete with FH in binding to C3b and interfere with the regulatory activity of FH. Consequently, a disturbance in AP control in the MEE may lead to an ongoing excessive C activation and inflammation in OME.
The complement regulator-acquiring surface protein (CRASP)-1 is a member of the paralogous gene family gbb54 and the dominant FHL-1 and factor H binding protein of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.). It was shown recently that expression of BbCRASP-1 directly correlates with serum resistance of B. burgdorferi s.s. isolates. In the present study we have elucidated the putative potential of other members of the gbb54 paralogous family, including orthologs ZSA66, ZSA69, ZSA70, ZSA71, ZSA72 and ZSA73 of the European B. burgdorferi s.s. strain ZS7, to bind human FHL-1 and factor H. In spite of their overall similarity in protein sequence, between 47% and 67%, and the fact that the C-terminal region of ZSA69 shows 70% similarity with BbCRASP-1, none of the orthologous proteins was able to bind human FHL-1 and/or factor H. BbCRASP-1 is the only member of the paralogous gene family gbb54 that binds to human complement regulators, supporting the notion that BbCRASP-1 plays a critical role in evasion of complement by B. burgdorferi s.s. and thus may be helpful in the development of novel therapeutic strategies against Lyme borreliosis.
RHP was purified from normal serum by sequential euglobin precipitation, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel and gel filtration using Sephacryl S-300. RHP reacted with anti-Factor H antibodies in ELISA assays and in Western blots, suggesting that it is antigenically related to Factor H. It bound to intact C1q but not to the collagen-like N-terminal half of the molecule. C1q-specific monoclonal antibody BUS-1, which blocks the binding of C1q to immune complexes, did not block the binding of RHP to C1q. This implies that the binding sites on C1q for IgG and RHP do not overlap.
Decay-accelerating factor (DAF), extracted from the stroma of human erythrocytes, was purified to homogeneity and incorporated into the membrane of sheep red cell complement intermediates, where its functional properties were analyzed. Incorporation of DAF into the cell membranes was temperature dependent, took place on pronase- or trypsin-treated erythrocytes, and did not depend on prior deposition of antibody, C1 or C4. Serum lipoproteins (high and low density) effectively inhibited DAF incorporation, but had no effect on the activity of DAF after its association with the cell membrane. The incorporated DAF could not be removed from the red cell surface by repeated washings in the presence of high salt concentration but was solubilized when the stroma were extracted with 0.1% Nonidet P-40. The presence of DAF in the membrane of EA did not affect the deposition of C1 and C4, but as few as 10(2) DAF molecules per cell profoundly inhibited the assembly of C3 and C5 convertases of both the classical and alternative pathways. The DAF inhibitory effect on EAC14 or EAC43 was not overcome by supplying an excess of C2 or factor B, but the alternative pathway C3 convertase could be assembled in the presence of Ni++, or nonphysiological concentrations of Mg++, which enhances the binding affinity of factor B for C3b. The DAF effect on EAC14 or EAC143 was entirely reversed by treating the cells with specific anti-DAF antibodies, showing that DAF did not alter the structure of C4b or C3b. Taken together, the experimental evidence suggests that DAF interacts directly with membrane-bound C3b or C4b and prevents subsequent uptake of C2 and factor B. DAF can function only within the cell membrane. Indeed, the decay dissociation of the C4b2a enzyme on DAF-containing sheep intermediates was not changed by varying the cell concentration. DAF-treated EA had no influence on the decay of nontreated EAC142 present in the same mixture. Moreover, the inhibitory activity of intact human erythrocytes on C4b2a was not blocked by antibodies to DAF, but was abolished by antibodies to the C3b/C4b receptor (CR1). When incorporated into the membrane of rabbit erythrocytes, human DAF inhibited their lysis by human complement. In conclusion, on the basis of these and previous results, it appears that DAF plays a central role in preventing the amplification of the complement cascade on host cell surfaces.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Eighteen patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis were studied for clinical and laboratory evidence of immunologic dysfunction. Clinical findings included the presence of arthritis, vasculitis, and erythema nodosum. Laboratory abnormalities included the presence of circulating immune complexes, antinuclear antibodies, positive direct Coombs tests, elevated latex fixations, and a circulating lupus type anticoagulant. Total hemolytic complement was markedly depressed in four patients. Analysis of complement (C) components C1-C9 and factor B demonstrated significant reduction of only C3 and factor B. By crossed-immunoelectrophoresis, both C3 and factor B, but not C4, were cleaved, indicating that C activation was occurring predominantly via the alternative pathway. The control proteins beta 1H and C3b inactivator were decreased in three of four patients with hypocomplementemia. These data suggest that immunologic mechanisms associated with activation of the complement system play an important role in the disease process of some patients with agnogenic myeloid metaplasia with myelofibrosis.
Serum concentrations of C4, C3, factor B (B), properdin (P), C3b inactivator (C3bINA) and beta 1H globulin have been measured by radial immunodiffusion in sixty-two samples from thirteen patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Significant reductions in the mean serum concentrations of C4 (classical pathway) B and P (alternative pathway) and C3 were found. In addition, the mean level of the control protein beta 1H, but not C3bINA, was reduced. Sera from thirteen patients taking during disease exacerbation (low C3) showed significantly lower levels of both C3bINA and beta 1H than sera taken from the same thirteen patients during disease remission (high C3). Serum concentrations of C3bINA correlated with B (P less than 0.005) but not C4, C3 or P, whereas levels of beta 1H correlated with C4 (P less than 0.01), B (P less than 0.005) and properdin (P less than 0.01). Serial measurements of the serum concentrations of C3bINA and beta 1H showed that levels of these protein fell during exacerbation, and such falls were more closely associated with diseases in the serum levels of the alternative pathways proteins than C4. It is concluded from these observations that serum concentrations of the control proteins C3bINA and beta 1H, especially the latter, control the extent of turnover of the alternative pathway in SLE. Metabolic studies are required to determine the causes of the decreased serum concentrations of these control proteins.
When incubated in normal human serum, rabbit erythrocytes are haemolysed as a result of activation of the alternative pathway of complement (APC), but sheep erythrocytes do not spontaneously activate the human APC under physiological conditions. The mechanism for this difference has been attributed to differences in the relative affinity of membrane-bound C3b for its natural ligands, factor B and factor H, that favour the formation and stability of the APC C3 convertase on rabbit erythrocytes and inhibit convertase activity on sheep erythrocytes. Previous studies have also suggested that factor I inactivated C3b on sheep erythrocytes more effectively than on rabbit erythrocytes. Further, sheep erythrocytes have recently been shown to have a membrane protein that associates non-covalently with cell-bound C3b, but rabbit erythrocytes lack a predominant C3b binding protein. Together, these results suggested the possibility that sheep but not rabbit erythrocytes have a membrane constituent with factor I cofactor activity. To investigate this hypothesis, rabbit and sheep erythrocytes bearing radiolabelled C3b were treated either with factor I or with factor I and factor H, and conversion to iC3b was assessed by autoradiography. Factor I caused a concentration-dependent conversion of C3b to iC3b on sheep erythrocytes; however, only trace amounts of C3b on rabbit erythrocytes were degraded even when high concentrations of factor I (83 micrograms/ml) were used. While C3b on rabbit erythrocytes was converted to iC3b by the combination of factor H and factor I, much less factor H was required for the same degree of conversion of C3b on sheep erythrocytes. Treatment of sheep erythrocytes with neuraminidase had no effect on either factor I-dependent cofactor activity or the capacity of factor H to serve as a factor I cofactor. Sheep erythrocytes did not manifest decay accelerating activity, however, suggesting that the factor I cofactor constituent is a functional analogue of the human membrane cofactor protein.
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Factor I is an essential regulatory serine proteinase of the complement cascade. It cleaves and inactivates the C3b and C4b constituents of the C3 and C5 convertases and thereby regulates many complement-mediated activities. The human protein is a heterodimer composed of a 50 kDa non-catalytic subunit (which contains several domains, i.e. FIM, CD5, LDLr type A) disulfide linked to a 38 kDa catalytic subunit. Recent characterization of Xenopus factor I cDNA revealed a 29 residue negatively charged region in its heavy chain which is absent in the human protein (Kunnath-Muglia et al., Molec. Immun. 30, 1249-1256, 1993). We report the complete cDNA sequence of mouse factor I as well as a partial chicken factor I cDNA sequence. Alignment of these two sequences with the published sequences for human and Xenopus proteins (a) demonstrates an overall conservation of primary structure and domain organization of mouse factor I, and (b) defines a divergent segment (D segment) in each species. In Xenopus protein, the D segment includes the 29 residue negatively charged region. In each of the four species examined, the D segment differed in length, sequence, organization, and number of repeated subregions. These differences reflect a considerable evolution of D segment. The significance of the diversity of the D segment is at present unclear. We also report the chromosomal localization of the mouse factor I gene (Cfi) to distal chromosome 3 near Egf.
Using cDNA probes for Factor H (FH) and C4 binding protein (C4BP) on a panel of somatic cell hybrids, we show that both of these genes map to the long arm of chromosome 1.
The isolation of cDNA and, in certain cases, genomic clones has been reported for the following complement proteins: C1q, C2, C3, C4, C5, C9, and factor B, C4b-binding protein and C1-inhibitor. The availability of cloned DNA has allowed rapid advances to be made in the understanding of the structure (from the derived amino acid sequences), function, biosynthesis and genetics of these proteins. This is most strongly illustrated from recent studies on the C2, factor B and C4 genes, which code for the class III molecules of the major histocompatibility complex, especially as certain allelic forms of these genes may be associated with disease susceptibility.
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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.
Pneumococcal cell walls are potent activators of the alternative complement (C) pathway; pneumococcal capsules are not. C3b that is deposited onto the cell walls of encapsulated organisms, however, functions inefficiently in host defense compared to C3b deposited onto capsular polysaccharides. Results of previous studies with guinea pig erythrocytes suggested that C3b deposited onto surfaces that do not activate the alternative pathway is rapidly inactivated. In the present study, we examined the interactions of C3b bound to pneumococcal capsules, to pneumococcal cell walls, and to the surface of sheep erythrocytes (E) with the serum control proteins, Factor H (beta 1H globulin) (H) and Factor I (C3b/4b inactivator) (I), and with Factor B (B) of the alternative C pathway. Conversion of bound C3b to C3bi was assayed by binding of radiolabeled conglutinin in a quantitative binding assay. Neither pneumococcal cell wall C3b nor capsular C3b was converted efficiently to a conglutinin-binding form by serum incubation. Experiments with purified C components showed that, after incubation with H and I, fewer conglutinin-binding sites were created on pneumococci than on E bearing equal numbers of C3b. Molecular analysis demonstrated that this did not result from cleavage of pneumococcal-bound C3b to an unusual, nonconglutinin-binding form of the molecule. Binding studies in which radiolabeled H was used demonstrated that the majority of C3b that is bound to both pneumococcal capsules and cell walls bound H with a lower affinity than did E-bound C3b. Studies of the binding of radiolabeled B demonstrated that C3b that was bound to pneumococcal cell walls and to E demonstrated equal affinity for B. In contrast, the majority of C3b that was fixed to pneumococcal capsules bound B with only 1/30 as high affinity. We conclude that pneumococcal capsules are not alternative pathway activators because the low affinity of capsular C3b for B leads to inefficient formation of an alternative pathway convertase, C3bBb. With regard to H binding, both cell wall- and capsular-bound C3b act as if they were in a "protected site" and resist degradation by the control proteins.
The binding of human complement components C3, C5 and C9 to the surface of the infective larvae of the nematode parasites Toxocara canis and Trichinella spiralis, by the alternative pathway, was examined by direct and indirect immunofluorescence on the intact parasites. This showed that although C3 bound to both nematodes, they differed markedly in the binding of C5 and C9; C5 bound only minimally to T. spiralis, and C9 binding to this parasite was barely detectable. In contrast, both early and late components bound to T. canis to a high density, comparable to, or in excess of, the binding of these components to the infective larvae of the trematode Schistosoma mansoni. The lack of binding of the post-C3 components to T. spiralis did not correlate with enhanced binding of the control protein, Factor H.
The blood cells of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) have abnormal interactions with complement. The activity of the alternative pathway C3 convertase on the platelets of 9 out of 19 patients with PNH was elevated. 10 patients had C3 convertase activity within the normal range even though 80-95% of their platelets lacked the complement regulatory protein decay accelerating factor (DAF) that is absent from the affected blood cells in PNH. PNH and normal platelets released factor H when C3 was bound to their surfaces. This may account for the apparent regulation of C3 convertase activity on platelets that lack DAF. The abnormal uptake of the membrane attack complex of complement by PNH III erythrocytes was not seen in PNH platelets. 111Indium-labeled platelet survival times were normal in five of eight patients, which suggests that the lack of the membrane attack complex defect results in normal platelet survival in PNH.