A new function of the activated third component of complement: binding to C5, an essential step for C5 activation.
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Binding Sites↗
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An intracellular self protein synthesized in macrophages is presented but fails to induce tolerance.
Mice deficient for the fifth component of murine complement (C5), unlike normal mice, do not possess the secreted form of C5 in their body fluids and can be readily immunized to serum-derived normal C5. Although macrophages from C5-deficient mice do not secrete C5, they synthesize the precursor form (pro-C5). Therefore contact of T cells with autologous pro-C5 presented by macrophages is theoretically possible. We show that macrophages from C5-deficient mice can indeed stimulate a class II restricted C5-specific T cell clone without addition of exogenous C5. Immunization of C5-deficient mice with autologous pro-C5 induces vigorous C5-specific T cell proliferation and pro-C5 is recognized by C5-specific T cells in vitro, demonstrating that this protein fails to induce tolerance under physiological conditions. Thus, intracellular pro-C5 is processed and presented by C5-deficient macrophages and can activate T cell clones in vitro, yet is neither immunogenic nor tolerogenic for T cells in vivo.
Animals↗
Secretion of the terminal complement proteins, C5-C9, by human platelets.
The terminal complement components, C8 and C9, and to a lesser extent C5, C6, and C7, but minimal amounts of C3, were shown to be associated with washed human platelets. In unactivated platelets, the complement components were detected in the platelet pellet by hemolytic assays after centrifugation and disruption of the platelets by freeze-thawing. However, after platelets had been activated by collagen, thrombin, or aggregated IgG to induce aggregation, the complement components were released into the supernatant. The rank order of hemolytic activity of C9, C8, C7, C6, and C5 detected in the supernatants of activated platelets was quite different from that found in serum from the same donors, in the same assays. In particular, the serum C7 hemolytic titer was more than twice the serum C9 hemolytic titer, whereas the activity of C9 detected from platelets was more than twice that of C7. This argues against a purely nonspecific uptake of these proteins by platelets from plasma. The functional role of terminal complement components released from platelets during activation is unknown, but it is tempting to speculate that these proteins may have a role in platelet-dependent immunological tissue injury. Because the C5b-9 membrane attack complex activates platelets, it is possible that release of terminal complement proteins serves to amplify platelet activation and may also play a role in diseases in which complement membrane attack complexes have been implicated.
Blood Platelets↗
Yeast opsonization defect and immunoglobulin deficiency in severe infantile dermatitis (Leiner's disease).
The defect in Leiner's disease, which presents in early infancy with extensive dermatitis, diarrhoea, and failure to thrive, has been attributed to a defect of the fifth component of complement (C5). We report 2 brothers with extensive dermatitis and dysgammaglobulinaemia. Both died. The older showed symptoms of Leiner's disease: C5 tests were not performed. The younger had extensive dermatitis and was found to have the C5 defect. He developed normally, but died suddenly with pertussis. We postulate that the C5 defect is not the sole cause of Leiner's disease as has been suggested, but that hypogammaglobulinaemia or other lymphoid deficiency is also required for its expression.
Agammaglobulinemia↗
Deficiency of the fifth component of complement in human subjects. Clinical, genetic and immunologic studies in a large kindred.
The discovery of a large kindred with a heritable deficiency of the fifth component of complement (C5) has permitted the accumulation of new clinical, genetic and immunologic data concerning the role of C5 in human subjects. The proband, who has had nine episodes of disseminated gonococcal infection, has a hemolytic C5 level of approximately 0.5 per cent of normal. No C5 protein was detectable, but low levels of functional C5 activity could be found using a sensitive bactericidal assay. The proband's twin as well as another sister also had extremely low levels of hemolytic C5(approximately 0.5 per cent normal), but both these subjects have been healthy. Hemolytic complement and bacteriolytic activity could be restored by the addition of purified C5. No chemotactic activity for polymorphonuclear leukocytes could be generated in the C5-deficient serums upon activation of either the classic or alternative pathways, again demonstrating the importance of C5 in human subjects for the production of chemotactic factors. The chemotactic responsiveness of the patients' polymorphonuclear leukocytes and monocytes to preformed chemotactic factors was not depressed. Twenty-two of 32 other family members from three generations had depressed whole hemolytic complement levels. In 19 of 30 family members, levels of hemolytic C5 ranged from 13 to 64 per cent of normal. No linkage for C5 deficiency and the A or B loci of the major histocompatibility complex could be found. These data suggest an autosomal codominant mode of inheritance of C5 deficiency. Deficiency of C5 is compatible with good health, but it can be associated with repeated disseminated gonococcal infection.
Adult↗
T cell immunity or tolerance as a consequence of self antigen presentation.
In this study we investigated the basis for immunity or tolerance to a mouse serum protein, the fifth component of complement (C5). In C5-deficient mice this protein is absent from serum and therefore they are not tolerized. Immunization of C5-deficient mice with C5-sufficient serum generates CD4+ T cells, which recognize C5 presented in the context of class II. No C5-specific responses were observed in T cells from C5-sufficient mice. We show that this self protein is processed and presented with class II by cells from C5-sufficient tolerant mice and can be recognized by C5-specific T cell clones and hybrids in the absence of exogenously added antigen. The stimulation of C5-specific T cells by C5-sufficient antigen-presenting cells is not a consequence of C5 secretion and subsequent processing in vitro but rather employs C5 peptide/class II complexes generated in vivo. We conclude that this self antigen is presented in normal mice in a form recognizable by T cells to induce and maintain immunological tolerance.
Animals↗
Digestion of the fifth component of complement by eosinophil lysosomal enzymes. Production of eosinophil specific chemotactic activity.
Recently our laboratory has shown that neutrophils contain enzymatic activity within their lysosomal granules which will generate chemotactic activity for neutrophils and tumor cells from the fifth component of complement (C5). We have now expanded this initial observation and have demonstrated that eosinophils can release enzymatic activity from their lysosomal granules upon stimulation with immune complexes or opsoninized zymosan, but not with C5a or synthetic chemotactic peptides. Furthermore, the enzymatic activity released from the eosinophil lysosomal granules can cleave C5 into eosinophil-specific chemotactic activity. The generation of the eosinophil chemotactic activities from C5 is blocked by prior treatment of the eosinophil preparations with a number of protease inhibitors. The eosinophil-derived C5 cleaving activity possesses a pH optimum of 7.2, thus suggesting the enzymatic activity is a neutral protease. The demonstration that enzyme activities derived from eosinophils have the ability to generate eosinophil chemotactic factor(s) from C5 may explain why eosinophils are the predominant inflammatory cell in both nasal polyps and in the nasopharynx and bronchi of patients with allergic conditions such as hay fever and asthma.
Animals↗
Effect of inherited deficiency of the fifth component of complement on arthritis induced in mice by Mycoplasma pulmonis.
Mycoplasma pulmonis inoculated parenterally into mice deficient in the fifth component of complement (C5) caused a chronic arthritis of significantly greater magnitude than in immunologically normal mice. During the chronic phase of arthritis M pulmonis organisms were isolated from the joints and organs of C5 deficient mice more frequently and in larger numbers than from immunologically normal mice. The implications of the results are discussed in relation to the pathogenesis of M pulmonis induced arthritis and human connective tissue diseases.
Animals↗
In C5-heterozygous intercrosses, the proportion of C5-homozygous-null female offspring exceeds the expected Mendelian ratio.
The complement system has functions beyond host defense, including roles in development and reproduction. However, the role of complement C5 in fertilization and early embryonic development remains unclear. Here, we investigated the reproductive phenotype of C5-deficient mice on a BALB/c background. C5-/- mice were fertile and showed no obvious reproductive abnormalities under standard laboratory housing conditions. However, offspring from C5+/- × C5+/- mating showed a significant deviation from the expected Mendelian distribution, with an increased proportion of female C5-/- offspring, whereas male offspring showed no comparable distortion. In vitro fertilization reproduced this skewed ratio which was detectable at the blastocyst stage, suggesting that the underlying mechanism operates during fertilization or preimplantation development. Parent-of-origin analysis further suggested a contribution of maternal C5. During preimplantation development, C5, C5a receptor 1 (C5ar1), and C5a receptor 2 (C5ar2) mRNA levels showed distinct dynamic expression profiles. These findings revealed an unexpected sex- and genotype-dependent reproductive phenotype associated with C5 deficiency and suggest that C5-dependent signaling may contribute to genotype-dependent selection during fertilization or preimplantation development. The dynamic expression of C5a receptors further supports a potential role for C5a signaling in early embryonic development and expands the biological role of complement beyond immune defense to include regulation of mammalian reproduction.
complement↗
Complement C3 and C5 degradation products during hemodialysis treatment: study of an index of membrane bioincompatibility.
In 10 hemodialyses (HD) with cuprophan (CU) and 10 with polyacrylonitrile (PAN), signs of complement activation were investigated by following arterial and venous levels of C3a, C3d and C5a, in order to propose a marker of bioincompatibility. Despite large individual variabilities, significant increases of these molecules were detected at t 20 min, particularly with CU device in the artery and more marked in the vein except for C3d with PAN. During the later stage of HD, while C3a and C5a levels gradually declined, but remained significantly higher than t 0 in all the patients treated with CU, the C3d concentration reached a plateau suggesting a continuous complement activation throughout HD. HD using PAN membranes were associated with a lower C3a, C3d and C5a generation and fewer dialyses generating these products. In some dialyses the higher arterial level of these molecules suggests an extra-dialyzer complement activation especially with PAN membrane. Although C5a venous levels appeared to be the more significant index of complement activation, for clinical purposes we propose the C3d arterial measurement as a reliable, non-expensive and technically simple indicator of membrane intolerance.
Acrylic Resins↗
Infection in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Association with a serum inhibitor of complement-derived chemotactic activity.
We have found subnormal amounts of chemotactic activity in zymosan-treated sera from 13 of 29 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). As an explanation for this abnormality, the presence of a uniquely specific, heat-stable inhibitor of complement (C5)-derived chemotactic activity has been documented in sera from 11 of these patients. Sera from 2 other patients contained elevated levels of nonspecific, heat-labile chemotactic factor inactivator (CFI) activity. The serum from 1 patient contained the heat-stable inhibitor as well as elevated levels of CFI. Patients with SLE whose sera contained the heat-stable inhibitor had more active disease clinically, but otherwise they were indistinguishable from patients without the inhibitor. When patients with the heat-stable inhibitor improved clinically, this usually was accompanied by a decrease in serum inhibitory activity. Only one episode of bacterial infection was observed among 16 patients with SLE whose sera yielded normal amounts of chemotactic activity after treatment with zymosan. In contrast, 7 of 11 patients with SLE whose sera contained the heat-stable inhibitor suffered serious bacterial infections. The presence of this heat-stable inhibitor in sera from some patients with SLE may contribute, in part, to their increased susceptibility to infection.
Adolescent↗
Restoration of haemolytic complement activity in C5-deficient mice by gene complementation in hybrid cells.
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Animals↗
Covalent association of C3b with C4b within C5 convertase of the classical complement pathway.
The C5 convertase of the classical complement pathway is a complex enzyme consisting of three complement fragments, C4b, C2a, and C3b. Previous studies have elucidated functional roles of each subunit (4, 6, 7), but little is known about how the subunits associate with each other. In this investigation, we studied the nature of the classical C5 convertase that was assembled on sheep erythrocytes. We found that one of the nascent C3b molecules that had been generated by the C3 convertase directly bound covalently to C4b. C3b bound to the alpha' chain of C4b through an ester bond, which could be cleaved by treatment with hydroxylamine. The ester bond was rather unstable, with a half-life of 7.9 h at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. Formation of the C4b-C3b dimer is quite efficient; e.g., 54% of the cell-bound C3b was associated with C4b when 25,000 molecules of C4b and 12,000 molecules of C3b were present per cell. Kinetic analysis also showed the efficient formation of the C4b-C3b dimer; the rate of dimer formation was similar to or even faster than that of cell-bound monomeric C3b molecules. These results indicate that C4b is a highly reactive acceptor molecule for nascent C3b. High-affinity C5-binding sites with an association constant of 2.1 X 10(8) L/M were demonstrated on C4b-C3b dimer-bearing sheep erythrocytes, EAC43 cells. The number of high-affinity C5-binding sites coincided with the number of C4b-C3b dimers, but not with the total number of cell-bound C3b molecules. Anti-C4 antibodies caused 80% inhibition of the binding of C5 to EAC43 cells. These results suggest that only C4b-associated C3b serves as a high-affinity C5 binding site. EAC14 cells had a small amount of high-affinity C5 binding sites with an association constant of 8.1 X 10(7) L/M, 100 molecules of bound C4b being necessary for 1 binding site. In accordance with the hypothesis that C4b-associated C4b might also serve as a high-affinity C5-binding site, a small amount of C4b-C4b dimer was detected on EAC14 cells by SDS-PAGE analysis. Taken together, these observations indicate that the high-affinity binding of C5 is probably divalent, in that C5 recognizes both protomers in the dimers. The high-affinity binding may allow selective binding of C5 to the convertase in spite of surrounding monomeric C3b molecules.
Animals↗
Complement activation in patients with renal failure as detected through the quantitation of fragments of the complement proteins C3, C5, and factor B.
Using sensitive and highly specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays fragments of the complement proteins C3, C5, and factor B were quantitated in patients with renal failure. During hemodialysis on new cuprophan membranes raised levels not only of C3a, but in addition of activated C3, C5a, and Ba were demonstrated. In patients with chronic renal failure and end-stage renal disease plasma concentrations of Ba and activated C3 were markedly elevated independent of hemodialysis. This finding is taken as an indication of a continuous recruitment of the alternative pathway of complement in these patients. As the detected complement protein fragments are known to exert immune regulatory functions these findings may imply that these peptides are involved in the maintenance of the immune suppressed state in renal failure.
Acute Kidney Injury↗
Resistance of highly pathogenic Naegleria fowleri amoebae to complement-mediated lysis.
Weakly pathogenic and nonpathogenic Naegleria spp. are readily lysed by human and guinea pig complement. Highly pathogenic Naegleria fowleri are resistant to complement-mediated lysis. Electrophoretic analysis of normal human serum (NHS) incubated with pathogenic or nonpathogenic Naegleria spp. demonstrates that amoebae activate the complement cascade, resulting in the production of C3 and C5 complement cleavage products. To determine whether surface constituents play a role in resistance to complement lysis, trophozoites of Naegleria spp. were subjected to enzymatic treatments prior to incubation in NHS. Treatment of trophozoites with papain or trypsin for 1 h, but not with neuraminidase, increased susceptibility of highly pathogenic Naegleria fowleri to complement lysis. Treatment of trophozoites with actinomycin D or cycloheximide during incubation with NHS or pretreatment with various protease inhibitors for 4 h did not increase the susceptibility of N. fowleri amoebae to lysis. Neither a repair process involving de novo protein synthesis nor a complement-inactivating protease appears to account for the increased resistance of N. fowleri amoebae to complement-mediated lysis.
Animals↗
Reduction of total hemolytic complement activity with Naja haje cobra venom factor does not prevent endotoxin-induced lung injury in sheep.
We studied the effects of reducing total hemolytic complement activity with Naja haje cobra venom factor on the lung injury caused by intravenously infused endotoxin in 5 unanesthetized sheep with lung lymph fistulas. In normal sheep, infusions of lipopolysaccharide W from Escherichia coli (1.0 micrograms/kg) intravenously over 30 min caused increases in protein-rich lung lymph flow as well as the appearance in plasma and lung lymph of complement (C5)-derived chemotactic activity for polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Reduction of total hemolytic complement activity by treatment with Naja haje cobra venom factor (12 to 17 U/kg intraperitoneally) did not prevent the lung injury caused by endotoxin and also did not prevent the appearance in plasma and lung lymph of chemotactic activity. We conclude that although complement appears to be activated following intravenously infused endotoxin in sheep, a completely intact complement system is not necessary for endotoxin-induced lung injury.
Animals↗
Localization of the covalent C3b-binding site on C4b within the complement classical pathway C5 convertase, C4b2a3b.
C5 convertase of the classical complement pathway is a trimolecular protein complex consisting of C4b, C2a, and C3b. In the complex there is an ester bond between C3b and C4b. We analyzed the C5 convertase formed on erythrocytes and localized the covalent binding site of C3b to a small region on C4b. The covalently linked C4b.C3b complex was purified from a detergent extract of the erythrocytes and digested with lysyl endopeptidase. An Mr 17,000 fragment containing the ester linkage between C4b and C3b was purified and its amino-terminal sequence was examined. Two amino acids were obtained at each cycle and identified with those in the sequences of C3 and C4. The sequence derived from C3 corresponded to the thioester region. The sequence derived from C4 started at Ala-1186. Alkali treatment of the fragment yielded an Mr 7,000 peptide derived from C4, which thus appeared to span the region of C4 from Ala-1186 to Lys-1259. Therefore, the covalent C3b-binding site on C4b is located within a 74-residue region of the primary structure. This finding supports the notion that after cleavage of C3 by the C4b2a complex, the covalent binding of metastable C3b to C4b is a specific reaction to form a trimolecular complex with a defined quaternary structure.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
Human alveolar macrophages synthesize the functional alternative pathway of complement and active C5 and C9 in vitro.
Attachment of protein to agarose beads cultured with macrophages in protein-free medium containing 3H-leucine, shows that de novo synthesis of protein with affinity to the beads takes place. We also found that monoclonal antibodies against human C3c, C3g, and a C9-neoantigen as well as polyclonal antibodies against human C5 and C9, bound to agarose beads that had been kept with the macrophage cultures. Demonstration of C3 derivatives on the agarose beads shows that the essential complement factors of the alternative pathway are synthesized and have been activated by the beads. Deposition of C5 and the detection of a neoantigen of C9 on the beads, indicates that the whole terminal complement pathway has been formed and activated. We conclude that human alveolar macrophages form in vitro the functional alternative pathway of complement, C5 and C9, and we have indirect evidence for synthesis of C6, C7, and C8.
Antibodies, Monoclonal↗