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Genetic studies of low-abundance human plasma proteins. XIII. Population genetics of C1R complement subcomponent and description of new variants.

Isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting reveals considerable biochemical and genetic variation in the C1R subcomponent of the first complement component. The nature of the intraindividual biochemical variation can be explained by differences in sialic acid content because after digestion with neuraminidase the terminal sialic acids are removed to yield a single major band corresponding to the C1R polypeptide. Plasma samples from a large number of different ethnic groups, consisting of U.S. whites, U.S. blacks, Nigerian blacks, and Inuit, Aleut, and Amerindian populations from the Western Hemisphere have revealed genetically determined charge variation with heterozygous phenotypes consisting of two major asialo bands, indicating that the underlying variation is not due to variation in sialic acid content. Two previously reported common alleles, C1R*1 and CIR*2, have been observed in all studied populations, the notable exception being the Dogrib Indian population, which is devoid of the C1R*2 allele. Several new alleles--designated C1R*3, C1R*4, C1R*5, C1R*6, and C1R*7-have been observed, with variable frequencies ranging from the occurrence in a single individual and related family members to the polymorphic occurrence of certain alleles in several populations. Of these new alleles, the C1R*5 is of considerable interest in population and anthropological genetics studies. The C1R*5 allele is widely distributed, at a frequency of .03 to .17, in all of the North American aboriginal populations screened. This allele is not present in U.S. whites but is present at a polymorphic frequency in U.S. and Nigerian blacks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alleles

Human complement C1r and C1s proteins and genes: studies with molecular probes.

The isolation of complementary DNA clones for both enzymic subcomponents of C1 has made it possible to derive their complete amino acid sequences and to verify and extend previous protein data. We review here recent advances in studies of the C1r and C1s proteins and of the corresponding genes, using molecular probes. The mosaic structure of these proteins has been compared to the exon-intron organization of the C1s gene. Surprisingly, the C1r and the C1s genes feature an intronless serine protease domain, at variance with all vertebrate serine proteases. Moreover, C1r and C1s are related in evolution to haptoglobin, a serine protease analog lacking enzymic activity. The C1r and C1s genes are closely linked in an unusual tail to tail orientation. These findings are discussed with regard to the apparently coordinate expression of these complement components and to the combined nature of most C1r and C1s deficiencies. We also discuss the implications of the successful production of C1r protein using recombinant DNA technology.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 12

Nucleotide sequence of the cDNA coding for human complement C1r.

C1r is a zymogen of a serine protease that is involved in the activation of the first component of the classical pathway of the complement system. cDNAs coding for human C1r have been isolated from libraries prepared from poly(A) RNA from human liver and Hep G2 cells. From DNA sequence analysis, the overlapping cDNA inserts were shown to span 2493 nucleotides of the C1r mRNA, not including the poly(A) tail. The cDNA sequence coding for C1r contained a 5' noncoding region, 2115 nucleotides coding for a polypeptide precursor of 705 amino acids, and a 3' noncoding region. Some variability in the length of the 3' noncoding sequence was observed with the cDNA inserts, although most contained a polyadenylation signal followed by a poly(A) tail. The A or noncatalytic chain of C-1r, which originates from the amino-terminal end of the precursor molecule, contains a potential growth factor domain and two different pairs of internal repeats. One pair of these internal repeats is closely related to the amino-terminal sequence of C1s, while the other pair of repeats is homologous to the tandem repeats present in beta 2-glycoprotein I, complement factor B, the b subunit of factor XIII, and a single region present in the alpha 1 chain of haptoglobin. The B chain of C-1r contains the catalytic portion of the enzyme and is homologous to the trypsin family of serine proteases.

Amino Acid Sequence

A calcium-binding monoclonal antibody that recognizes a non-calcium-binding epitope in the short consensus repeat units (SCRs) of complement C1r.

C1r is a Ca(2+)-binding serine protease that interacts with two other plasma proteins, C1q and C1s, to form C1, the first component of the complement cascade. A monoclonal antibody, BG6, has been produced which binds to C1r only in the presence of Ca2+, requiring 3-5 microM Ca2+ for half-maximal binding. The antibody reacts with native and heat-denatured C1r, and with zymogen C1r, but does not cross-react with C1s or C1q. BG6 did not significantly affect the esterolytic activity of C1r toward a synthetic thioester substrate nor the hemolytic activity of C1 reconstituted from subcomponents in the presence of the antibody. A tryptic fragment of C1r which consists of the C-terminal gamma region of the A chain disulfide-linked to the B chain (gamma B) binds in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner to BG6-Sepharose. Western blotting experiments have further localized the epitope to the gamma region of the A chain, which is composed of two short consensus repeat (SCR) units. The N-terminal alpha region contains the only previously determined Ca(2+)-binding site in the C1r molecule. Equilibrium dialysis experiments confirmed that C1r-gamma B does not bind Ca2+, and showed that antibody BG6 and the gamma B/BG6 complex do bind Ca2+. Thus, the Ca(2+)-dependent nature of this interaction is due exclusively to binding of the metal ion to the antibody. Equilibrium dialysis and immunoblotting have further localized the Ca(2+)-binding site to the Fab fragment of BG6, indicating that the metal-induced conformational change residues in or near the variable region of the IgG. BG6 may set a precedent for the preparation of Ca(2+)-dependent antibodies to non-Ca(2+)-binding epitopes in other proteins.

Antibodies, Monoclonal

Familial deficiency of two subunits of the first component of complement. C1r and C1s associated with a lupus erythematosus-like disease.

Complete absence of C1r and almost complete absence of C1s were found in 4 of 8 living siblings. Two of the 4 suffer from a syndrome that combines discoid lupus erythematosus and nondeforming rheumatoid-like arthritis; one of the siblings has mild nephritis. The other 2 C1 deficient family members are clinically well. Evidence from this and other families suggests that deficiency of C1 components or C4 is associated with higher risk of developing a lupus-like disease than is deficiency of C2.

Adolescent

Dynamic equilibria between subcomponents of C1, the first component of human complement.

C1r and C1s, the serine protease components of activated C1, form a tetramer in the presence of Ca2+. The stability of this tetramer is sufficient that its association with the third component, C1q, has been successfully treated as a reversible bimolecular equilibrium reaction [Siegel and Schumaker, Molec. Immun. 20, 53-66 (1983)]. We have used the fluorescence anisotropy (A) of fluorescein-labeled C1s (s*) to monitor assembly and subcomponent exchange in 0.15 mol/l NaCl, 0.001 mol/l Ca2+ 0.02 mol/l Tris, pH 7.4. Addition of q to r2s*2 causes a small but measurable delta A of 0.01-0.02. The response is too fast to measure at 37 degrees but can be readily followed at 4 degrees where t 1/2 = 0.6 min when [q] = [r2s*2] = 0.5 mumol/l. The increase in A can be readily reversed by dilution or by addition of unlabeled C1s. Slow incremental addition of q to a solution of r2s*2 produces a dose-dependent delta A from which stoichiometry and dissociation constants can be derived. Measurements of Kd as a function of temperature establish an inverse temperature dependence with delta H = -15 kcal/mol and a value of Kd = 0.031 mumol/l at 37 degrees (delta G = + 11, T delta S = -26 kcal/mol). Thus, the assembly process appears to be entropy-driven presumably due to the exclusion of structured water from protein-protein interfaces in the complex.

Complement C1r

Characteristics of complement subcomponents C1r and C1s synthesized by Hep G2 cells.

The association and activation states of complement subcomponents C1r and C1s biosynthesized by Hep G2 cells were studied. C1r and C1s are secreted in stoichiometric amounts; in the presence of Ca2+ they are associated in a complex that sediments similarly to plasma C1r2-C1s2. Both compounds are synthesized as monomer proteins of apparent Mr 86 000. C1r is secreted as a dimer. Secreted C1r is not autoactivatable but undergoes proteolysis by exogenous C1r; secreted C1s is also proteolysed by exogenous C1r. In the presence of immune-complex-bound C1q, secreted C1r and C1s are able to reconstitute C1, but normal activation requires extrinsic C1r2-C1s2.

Animals

Expression of hemolytically active human complement component C1r proenzyme in insect cells using a baculovirus vector.

The gene of human C1r has been expressed in a baculovirus-insect-cell system via the pAc373 transplacement vector. The full-length cDNA copy was inserted into the pAc373 vector downstream from the strong polyhedrin promoter of the baculovirus, Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV). Spodoptera frugiperda cells were cotransfected with the resultant plasmid, pAcC1r, and the wild-type AcNPV DNA. Recombinant viruses, which drove the expression of C1r protein, were selected by plaque morphology and ELISA. Insect cells infected with the recombinant virus produced and secreted human C1r protein, at a level of 1-2 mg/l of medium. The expressed C1r was isolated from the medium by chromatofocusing. On reducing gels only a single Coomassie-staining band was observed, and this band migrated at 80-83 kD characteristic of the unactivated C1r proenzyme. Its identification as C1r was immunologically confirmed on Western blots. C1 reconstituted from purified C1r expressed in insect cells together with human C1q and C1s proved biologically active in a hemolytic assay. Thus, the baculovirus-insect-cell system is capable of expressing and secreting a sophisticated, multifunctional human complement subcomponent in its biologically activatable form.

Animals

Complement component C1r mediated cleavage of the heavy chain of the major histocompatibility class I antigens.

Apart from cleaving C1s, we demonstrate for the first time that: 1) at concentrations found in serum, the activated forms of the complement components C1r in addition to C1s can cleave the heavy chain of MHC class I antigens, 2) the cleavage by C1r and C1s is seemingly dependent upon a native configuration of the MHC class I antigen, since heat denaturation of the HLA antigens reduce the cleavage. The proteolytic fragments following C1 cleavage were characterized by precipitation with Con A-Sepharose, anti-MHC class I and anti-beta 2-microglobulin antibodies. The proteolysis of the alpha-chain of MHC class I was shown to take place between the alpha 2- and alpha 3- domains as estimated by the Con A-Sepharose precipitation pattern on SDS-PAGE. The alpha 1/alpha 2 fragment was still shown to interact with beta 2-microglobulin as shown by immunoprecipitation.

Antibodies, Monoclonal

Isolation of human complement subcomponents C1r and C1s in their unactivated, proenzyme forms.

We have modified a standard isolation procedure for C1r and C1s, which employs IgG-Sepharose affinity chromatography followed by DEAE chromatography. As usual, all steps were performed at low temperature and two proteolytic inhibitors, PMSF and NPGB, were added during affinity chromatography on IgG-Sepharose. The novel condition was to keep the pH at pH 6.1 during the entire procedure, where activation was markedly depressed. In addition, purification was improved by washing the IgG-Sepharose column with a buffer free of added divalent cations immediately prior to elution of the C1r and C1s with EDTA. The final yields of highly purified C1r and C1s were about 20%; little or no activated material was detected in these highly purified fractions.

Chromatography, Affinity

Calcium-sensitive thermal transitions and domain structure of human complement subcomponent C1r.

Fluorescent probes and other methods have been used to investigate the thermal stability of activated C1r and functionally intact fragments isolated from tryptic digests of the protein. This enzyme exhibits two irreversible transitions that differ with respect to their sensitivity to metal ions. The high-temperature transition occurs with a midpoint near 53 degrees C in 0.02 M tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane buffer and 0.15 M NaCl, pH 7.4. It is relatively insensitive to Ca2+ and ionic strength and is accompanied by a loss of catalytic activity. The low-temperature transition is most easily observed in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and is completely abolished by 100 microM Ca2+. Its midpoint varies between 26 degrees C at low ionic strength and 40 degrees C in the presence of 0.5 M NaCl. The low-temperature transition results in extensive polymerization of the protein without loss of the esterolytic activity or the ability to react with C1 inhibitor; however, the ability to reconstitute hemolytically active C1 or even bind to C1s in the presence of Ca2+ is destroyed. A highly purified N-terminal fragment generated by tryptic digestion of C1r in the presence of Ca2+ retained its ability to interact with C1s, disrupting the formation of C1s dimers in the presence of Ca2+. In the absence of Ca2+, this fragment displays only a low-temperature transition that is very similar to the one observed with the whole protein and that destroys its ability to bind to C1s. Addition of Ca2+ stabilizes this fragment, shifting the midpoint of its melting transition upward by more than 20 degrees C.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates

A rapid and efficient method for the purification of the complement subcomponents C1r and C1s in zymogen form using fast protein chromatography.

The purification of the subcomponents C1r and C1s of the first component of complement involves multiple steps and is time-consuming. This accounts for the frequently observed partial activation of the subcomponents. In this report we propose a simplified procedure of purification using a batch method and fast protein chromatography avoiding a shift of pH. The method provides C1r and C1s in a yield of 35 and 60% respectively. In addition, this study provides a simple and sensitive test to assess functional purity of C1r and C1s with respect to the other C1 subcomponents.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Genetic studies of low-abundance human plasma proteins. IX. A new allele at the complement subcomponent C1R structural locus.

Genetic variation in the C1R subcomponent of the first complement component C1 was investigated in U.S. whites by isoelectric focusing and immunoblotting. In addition to the previously described two alleles, the products of a new and rare third allele designated C1R*3 were detected. The expression of the new allele is consistent with autosomal codominant inheritance, which is confirmed by family data. The frequencies of the C1R*1, C1R*2 and C1R*3 alleles in 201 randomly selected U.S. whites are: 0.908, 0.090, and 0.002, respectively.

Alleles

Cloning and sequencing of full-length cDNA encoding the precursor of human complement component C1r.

The sequencing of human liver cDNA clones encoding the entire C1r precursor protein has confirmed the previously determined peptide sequence and has shown that there is a leader peptide which is 17 amino acids long. A residue tentatively identified as beta-hydroxyaspartic acid [Arlaud, Willis & Gagnon (1986) Biochem. J., in the press] located in the C1r A-chain, within an epidermal-growth-factor consensus sequence, was found to be encoded as asparagine. Two sequence elements, tandemly located in the A-chain, are related to a sequence widespread among proteins which interact with C3b or C4b. Structural comparisons between different clones indicate that multiple polyadenylation sites are responsible for the length heterogeneity observed for C1r mRNA from liver and Hep G2 cells.

Base Sequence

Complement genes C1r and C1s feature an intronless serine protease domain closely related to haptoglobin.

The exon-intron structure of the human complement C1s gene displays a striking similarity with that of the gene encoding haptoglobin, a peculiar transport protein distantly related to the serine proteases. While the protease regions of the serine zymogens are typically encoded by multiple exons, the protease domains of C1s and of its genetically linked and functionally interacting homolog C1r are encoded as intronless domains, not unlike a region of haptoglobin, which in fact is devoid of proteolytic activity. The close similarity of the C1s gene with haptoglobin includes the precise conservation of exon-intron junctions and it extends to upstream exons encoding the short repeats typical of several complement components, but found also in other functionally unrelated proteins. Additional evidence of the common ancestry of C1r, C1s and haptoglobin is the presence, within the protease domain, of a set of sequence markers that distinguish these three proteins from all known serine proteases. The finding of vertebrate serine protease genes with an uninterrupted protease-encoding exon supports the definition of a novel evolutionary branch of this gene family and rules out the hypothesis that regards this unusual exon as an irrelevant byproduct of the extravagant functional divergence of haptoglobin.

Amino Acid Sequence

Human genes for complement components C1r and C1s in a close tail-to-tail arrangement.

Complementary DNA clones for human C1s were isolated from cDNA libraries that were prepared with poly(A)+ RNAs of human liver and HepG2 cells. A clone with the largest cDNA insert of 2664 base pairs (bp) was analyzed for its complete nucleotide sequence. It contained 202 bp of a 5' untranslated region, 45 bp of coding for a signal peptide (15 amino acid residues), 2019 bp for complement component C1s zymogen (673 amino acid residues), 378 bp for a 3' untranslated region, a stop codon, and 17 bp of a poly(A) tail. The amino acid sequence of C1s was 40.5% identical to that of C1r, with excellent matches of tentative disulfide bond locations conserving the overall domain structure of C1r. DNA blotting and sequencing analyses of genomic DNA and of an isolated genomic DNA clone clearly showed that the human genes for C1r and C1s are closely located in a "tail-to-tail" arrangement at a distance of about 9.5 kilobases. Furthermore, RNA blot analyses showed that both C1r and C1s genes are primarily expressed in liver, whereas most other tissues expressed both C1r and C1s genes at much lower levels (less than 10% of that in liver). Multiple molecular sizes of specific mRNAs were observed in the RNA blot analyses for both C1r and C1s, indicating that alternative RNA processing(s), likely an alternative polyadenylylation, might take place for both genes.

Amino Acid Sequence

An improved method for complement subcomponent C1R typing.

An improved method has been developed for the reliable classification of different C1R genetic variant forms from human serum or plasma. The method combines the use of neuraminidase-digested samples followed by monodimensional isoelectric focusing in the pH range 5 to 8 followed by immunoblotting. The method yields a simple pattern, with one major band in homozygote and two major bands in heterozygote cases.

Blood Grouping and Crossmatching