Complement components on human lymphocytes.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to S Prichard-Thomas.
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The fourth component of complement (C4) has been demonstrated on the cell membrane of guinea-pig B lymphocytes isolated from blood, lymph nodes and spleen. In lymph nodes, at least, the C4-positive cells also carry receptors for C3 and most bind IgG-Fc. Few, if any, T lymphocytes have detectable C4. Resynthesis of cell-surface C4 could not be shown following in vitro culture of lymphocytes stripped of C4 by proteolytic enzymes, and it is likely that the C4 is passively acquired in vitro from tissue fluids, possibly by a mechanism similar to that involved in the binding of C4 (Chido and Rodgers determinants) to human erythrocytes.
In a survey of lymphocyte subpopulations in normal guinea-pig blood, lymph node, spleen, thymus and peritoneal cavity, a considerable overlap was observed between the percentages of C3-receptor bearing lymphocytes (CRL) and of thymus-dependent (T) cells in lymph nodes. Simultaneous rosette-formation reactions with sheep erythrocytes carrying rabbit complement (EAC) and papain-treated rabbit erythrocytes (a T-cell marker) revealed that 20--50% of the lymph node CRL were T lymphocytes. These experiments and others on cell suspensions depleted of Ig-bearing (B) lymphocytes showed that between 8 and 36% of lymph node T cells have complement receptors. The frequency of T-CRL in other lymphoid tissues was lower, representing between 0 and 8% of the T-cell population. The reaction of T-CRL and EAC was not inhibited by EDTA which is known to inhibit the C3 receptor activity on macrophages.