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The second component of complement (C2) as an index of hereditary angioneurotic edema.

Measurements of C2 hemolytic activity were performed in the sera of 13 patients with Hereditary Angioneurotic Edema. Prior to treatment, C2 values correlated with the severity of the disease in each patient. During androgen therapy with Danazol, C2 measurements reflected the clinical benefit of the drug more accurately than C4 levels, thus explaining the effectiveness of low drug doses. This study also suggests that breakdown products of C2 may play an essential role in the pathogenesis of the edema.

Angioedema↗

Activation of the classical pathway of complement by tobacco glycoprotein (TGP).

Tobacco glycoprotein (TGP), a polyphenol-rich glycoprotein isolated from tobacco leaves, activates the classical complement pathway through a mechanism that appears to involve direct interaction with C1q. A binding site on C1q for TGP can be localized by competitive inhibition with DNA to a region located in the junction between the collagen-like and globular regions of the molecule. A protein with activity similar to TGP has also been isolated from cigarette smoke condensate (TGP-S); it shares a binding site on C1q with TGP and has similar functional activity, with the exception that complement activation does not proceed to formation of a C3 cleaving enzyme. The ability of TGP and TGP-S to activate complement can be partially duplicated using polyphenols associated with tobacco leaf and smoke, i.e., chlorogenic acid and rutin. These polyphenols also compete with TGP for a binding site on immobilized C1q, suggesting that the polyphenol portion of TGP is critical for activation of complement. These results provide an additional mechanism for complement activation by cigarette products that, in vivo, could result in a localized complement depletion, generation of biologically active complement cleavage products, and initiation of an inflammatory response.

Complement Activation↗

Complement component C5: engineering of a mutant that is specifically cleaved by the C4-specific C1s protease.

Previous studies showed that simply inserting or substituting a few amino acid residues immediately downstream of the proteolytic activation site in C component C3 renders that site susceptible to the C4-specific C1s protease. This report describes the results of extending those studies to the closely related component C5. We found that small changes, similar to those that made C3 susceptible to C1s, were insufficient to render C5 C1s-sensitive; and neither more extensive substitution downstream of the cleavage site with a 14 residue long segment from C4, nor upstream substitution with an 8 residue long C4 segment gave C1s cleavage. However, substitution of both the upstream and downstream segments gave a hybrid C5 protein, designated ASC4, which was cleaved by C1s. The protease sensitivity of ASC4 was curious, however, in that C1s was more active against the secreted extracellular biosynthetic precursor, pro-ASC4(E) than mature ASC4, whereas a C5-specific convertase cleaved the mature protein but not the precursor. In contrast, both mature and precursor forms of wild-type C5 were cleaved by the C5 convertase, but neither of course is recognized by C1s. These results demonstrate that a mutant C5 molecule can be constructed that is cleaved at the activation site by both C1s and C5 convertase. This suggests that the structures necessary for specific recognition by the two proteases have little or no overlap and that recognition by C5 convertase involves residues that are distant from the activation site itself.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

[The effect of the complement system on the acute reversible rejection of kidney transplants].

Although the involvement of complement in hyperacute renal allograft rejection is well established, its possible implication in acute reversible and chronic graft rejection remains uncertain. In recent clinical studies with a total of 83 patients undergoing renal transplantation, plasma levels of complement activation products were elevated 4-7 days before clinical diagnosis of graft rejection. Immunohistochemical analysis of biopsies revealed local complement activation with glomerular deposition of the terminal C5b-9 complex within 1 h after organ reperfusion. Increasing levels of complement activation products, preceding the clinical manifestation of renal graft rejections may be of diagnostic value in recognizing patients at risk.

Acute Disease↗

[Hemostasis disorders in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis].

Coagulation studies in 82 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis showed that latent intravascular coagulation occurs not only in patients with active disease, but also in those with marked residual changes. The level of Cl-esterase inactivator may serve as an indicator of the disease prognosis: if its concentration is low, the prognosis is poor. Total fibronectin was measured in 76 patients with different tuberculosis activity. The results suggest that this protein's blood levels reflect the activity of the specific process in the lungs. Normal fibronectin concentrations indicate cure of tuberculosis.

Adolescent↗

C1q inhibitor (chondroitin-4-sulfate proteoglycan): structure and function.

The serum C1q inhibitor (C1q INH) is a chondroitin 4-sulfate proteoglycan which is composed of several polyanionic components ranging in size from 21-750 kDa. Although the activity of C1q INH has been described in terms of its ability to precipitate C1q and inhibit its hemolytic activity, not much is known about either the mechanisms of its action or its role in health and disease. This report provides evidence that a 30 kDa core protein component of the proteoglycan macromolecule contains most of the C1q inhibitory activity. This inhibitory activity occurs as a result of C1q INH binding to the C1q "heads" (gC1q) as well as to the collagen "tail" (cC1q). What may be more significant in terms of perpetuation of inflammatory processes is the ability of C1q INH to moderately activate the classical pathway leading to C2 and C4 consumption. The binding of C1q INH to C1q is enhanced at low ionic strength, but significant binding does occur under physiologic conditions which makes it likely for the inhibitor to participate in inflammatory processes especially in microenvironments of high inhibitor concentration. Such elevated concentration does occur in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus either as a result of unregulated proteoglycan synthesis or disturbances in connective tissue metabolism. Another important function of serum C1q INH is its ability to prolong the clotting time of plasma and fibrinogen solutions containing or lacking CaCl2. This potent anticoagulant activity is again displayed by the 30 kDa putative protein core which specifically binds to both the E and D domains of fibrinogen. However, the epitope(s) on the 30 kDa which binds to C1q appears to be distinct from that which binds to fibrinogen. The known presence of proteoglycans on the basement membranes and other sites may explain at least in part the presence of fibrinogen in atheromatous lesions. Furthermore, by binding to fibrinogen, soluble C1q INH-and C1q-C1q INH complexes may limit fibrin gelation in inflammatory and tissue repair microenvironments.

Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans↗

SC5b-9 is the most sensitive marker in assessing disease activity in Brazilian SLE patients.

This study investigated whether increased plasma levels of terminal complement complex (SC5b-9) or split products correlate with disease activity and clinical manifestations in Brazilian systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Comparisons with conventional measurements of complement and other inflammatory markers were also performed. Plasma levels of SC5b-9, C3a desArg, C1rs-C1Inhibitor, C3b(Bb)P, C3, C4, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and mucoproteins (MP) were measured in 41 patients with SLE of different disease activity: 10 patients with none, 15 patients with mild, and 16 patients with moderate or severe activity. All parameters, with the exception of C3 and C3b(Bb)P, showed a statistically significant correlation with disease activity. Plasma levels of SC5b-9, C3a desArg, C4, CH50, ESR and MP revealed significant differences between the groups of patients without activity and those with moderate or severe disease. Although none of the variables were able to discriminate between patients without and those with mild activity, SC5b-9, C3a desArg, C4, ESR and mucoproteins showed significant differences between the patients with mild and those with moderate or severe disease. Among all the variables, SC5b-9 levels showed the most significant results and correlated well with the severity of the disease (p < 0.0005). Our data suggest that elevated levels of complement activation products, particularly of SC5b-9 are more sensitive markers in assessing disease activity than conventional laboratory diagnosis. Modern complement diagnosis is therefore recommended for monitoring disease progress in SLE patients.

Adolescent↗

Purification of the first component of guinea-pig complement by gel chromatography.

A method has been described for the purification of the first component (C1) of complement from guinea-pig serum. The procedure consists in euglobulin precipitation followed by gel filtration on agarose columns. The final product has low protein content and high specific activity. The protein obtained by this procedure has a molecular weight of about one million and has been further characterized using immunochemical and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis techniques. The protein reacts with anti-C1 antiserum and forms the EAC1, 4-intermediate. The experiments indicated the existence of electrophoretic variants of C1. The dissociation of the C1 molecule by increasing the ionic strength is confirmed. The described procedure appears to be a useful method of obtaining functionally purified C1.

Animals↗

Mouse monoclonal antibodies at the red cell surface--I. Generation of EAC4 and interaction with C1.

C1 and C1 activity measurements were performed with EA and EAC4 prepared with rabbit anti-Forssman IgG or IgM and were compared to measurements with EA and EAC4 prepared with mouse monoclonal IgG2b and IgM anti-DNP antibodies on cells coupled with TNP: the amount of TNP per cell was optimal for antibody activity. No differences were found in the ability of EAC4 made with poly- or monoclonal IgM to measure C1 activity; in contrast, monoclonal IgM was capable of activating only about 30% of C1 when compared to activation by polyclonal IgM. Monoclonal vs polyclonal IgGs behaved in a similar manner but they were detecting only 50% of C1 or C1 activity when compared to IgM of the appropriate class. It was concluded that monoclonal antibodies were capable of generating EAC4 intermediate, and that the ability of monoclonal antibodies in the EAC4 complex to bind C1 and to detect C1 activity is not significantly different from that of polyclonal antibodies but that monoclonal antibodies are less efficient in activating C1 than polyclonal antibodies.

2,4-Dinitrophenol↗

Antibody-independent activation of C1. I. Differences in the mechanism of C1 activation by nonimmune activators and by immune complexes: C1r-independent activation of C1s by cardiolipin vesicles.

C1 activation is controlled by the regulatory protein C1-inhibitor (C1-INH). In contrast to immune-complex-induced activation, which is insensitive to C1-INH, antibody-independent activation of C1 is modulated by C1-INH. The mechanisms regulating nonimmune activation were studied with two phospholipids varying in their capacity to activate C1 in the presence of C1-INH: cardiolipin (CL) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG). Whereas C1-INH consistently suppressed activation by PG vesicles, a dose-dependent increase in C1 activation was measured with CL vesicles above 40 mole %. A similar dose-response binding of C1s requiring C1q, but not C1r, was detected only on CL vesicles, but neither on PG vesicles nor on immune complexes. This binding was Ca2+-dependent, suggesting that dimeric C1s is involved and was inhibited by spermine. The C1q-bound C1s was specifically cleaved at 37 degrees C into its active 58 kDa and 28 kDa chains, in the absence of C1r. On the addition of anti-CL antibodies, the C1q-mediated cleavage of C1s by CL vesicles was specifically inhibited. The cleavage of C1r on CL vesicles was also determined. When macromolecular C1 was offered in the presence of C1-INH, C1r cleavage was detected; however, the presence of C1s was a critical factor for C1r activation, because it was required on CL vesicles, but not on immune complexes. These results show that nonimmune activation of C1 presents specific features which distinguish it from immune complex-induced activation. These characteristics varied with the capacity of antibody-independent activators to activate C1 in the presence of C1-INH.

Antigen-Antibody Complex↗

Early complement components in Alzheimer's disease brains.

Activation products of the early complement components C1, C4 and C3 can be found colocalized with diffuse and fibrillar beta-amyloid (beta/A4) deposits in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. Immunohistochemically, C1-esterase inhibitor (C1-Inh) and the C1 subcomponents C1s and C1r can not, or only occasionally, be detected in plaques or in astrocytes. The present finding that C1q, C1s and C1-Inh mRNA are present in both AD and control brains suggests that the variable immunohistochemical staining results for C1r, C1s and C1-Inh are due to a rapid consumption, and that the inability to detect C1s, C1r or C1-Inh is probably due to the dissociation of C1s-C1-Inh and C1r-C1-Inh complexes from the activator-bound C1q into the fluid phase. Employing monoclonal antibodies specific for different forms of C1-Inh, no complexed C1-Inh could be found, whereas inactivated C1-Inh seems to be present in astrocytes surrounding beta/A4 plaques in AD brains. These findings, together with our finding (using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction) that C1-Inh is locally produced in the brain, suggest that in the brain complement activation at the C1 level is regulated by C1-Inh. Immunohistochemically, no evidence for the presence of the late complement components C5, C7 and C9, or of the membrane attack complex (MAC), was found in beta/A4 plaques. In contrast to the mRNA encoding the early components, that of the late complement components appears to be hardly detectable (C7) or absent (C9). Thus, without blood-brain-barrier impairment, the late complement components are probably present at too low a concentration to allow the formation of the MAC, which is generally believed to be responsible for at least some of the neurodegenerative effects observed in AD. Therefore, the present findings support the idea that in AD, complement does not function as an inflammatory mediator through MAC formation, but through the action of early component activation products.

Aged↗

[Role of C1 subcomponents in platelet aggregation induced by aggregated IgG].

Studies have been performed with platelets using C1 haemolytic assays and platelet aggregation induced by anti-C1q, anti-C1s and aggregated IgG in the presence of C1 subcomponents C1q, C1r and C1s. C1q was removed by EDTA or modified by collagenase from human platelets while after the same treatment C1s remained bound to the platelets. EDTA-treated platelets were no longer aggregated by aggregated IgG. The addition of C1q restored the reactivity of the platelets to aggregated IgG while the addition of C1s or C1s was without effect. Furthermore, the addition of C1r or C1s to C1q inhibited the action of C1q in platelet aggregation induced by IgG. The possible association between the different C1 subcomponents and human platelets is discussed.

Complement C1↗

An improved method for performance of the C1 fixation and transfer test.

A modification of the traditional C1 fixation and transfer test of Borsos and Rapp is presented. The modified method separates C1 bound to antibody in the fixation stage from free C1 by centrifugation of antigen-antibody-C1 complexes through silicone oil or albumin. This provides a rapid and complete separation of bound and free C1 so that the fixation and transfer test becomes quicker and easier. For high affinity antibodies, the modified technique gives equivalent data to the traditional method. For some low avidity antibodies or unstable surfaces, the traditional technique is unable to measure bound C1, but the C1 fixation and transfer test can be performed successfully by the modified method.

Animals↗