Complement System Flashcards
What form do compliment serum proteins circulate in?
inactive
What are 4 possible outcomes of complement system activation?
target cell membrane lysis
chemotaxis
opsonization - promote phagocytosis
inflammation
What are the 7 steps?
- Initiators bind
- Conformational changes
- Opsonization
- Inflammation
- MAC
- effectors act through complement receptors
- limit effects by promoting degradation/ preventing host binding
What is an example of an opsonin?
C1q
What are the 3 activation pathways?
classical/ lectin/ alternative
What complement protein do all 3 pathways generate?
C3b
What pathway is associated with antigen-antibody immune complexes?
classical pathway
What pathway is associated with PAMP recognition by lectins? recognize carbs
lectin pathway
What pathway is associated with spontaneous hydrolysis?
alternative pathway
What begins the process of complement deposition?
binding of C1q
What is the C1 complex made up of?
C1q opsonin/ C1r2s2 enzyme/protease ring
= C1qr2s2
What is the protease C1r2s2 composed of?
2 C1r / 2 C1s
What happens after opsonin C1q binds the antigen-antibody complex?
conformational change in 1 C1r molecule= activates it
What happens after first C1r molecule activated?
it activates the second C1r and the 2 C1s molecules
What does C1s do?
cleaves C4/ C2
What is cleaved by C1s first, C4 or C2?
C4
What happens to the components of C4 cleaved by C1s?
C4b- binds C2 and exposes it to C1s
C4a - away
What happens when C2 is cleaved by C1s?
C3 convertase formed = C4b2a
What is C3 convertase?
C4b2a
What happens to C2 components once cleaved by C1s?
C2a- into C3 complex
C2b- away
What hydrolyzes many C3 molecules?
C3 convertase
What combines to form C5 convertase?
C3 convertases combine with C3
= C4b2a + C3b = C4b2a3b
What is C5 convertase?
C4b2a3b
What part of C5 convertase binds C5?
C3b
What happens once C5 binds to C5 convertase?
C4b2a cleaves C5
What is C1 binding followed by?
cleavage of C4 then C2
What is another term for lectins?
Mannose-binding lectin = MBL
What do lectins bind to?
microbial surfaces
What is the function of lectins?
bind to microbial surface/ serve as docking sites for MASPs
= MBL associated serine proteases
What do MASPs do? (lectin)
cleave C4/ C2 to form C3 convertase
What are the 3 ways the alternative pathway is initiated?
- alternative tickover pathway
- alternative properdin-activated
- alternative protease-activated
What pathway describes how small amounts of C3 are always being cleaved/ activated C3b binds to membrane/ Factor B binds and is cleaved by Factor D?
alternative tickover