Exam 1: Complement Flashcards
Complement
Overview
- Complements the killing action of Ab on bacteria
- Significant role in:
- Promoting inflammation
- Defense against certain forms of extracellular bacteria
- Tissue damage
- Immune complex diseases like systemic lupus erythematous
- Protection within minutes/hours of an infection ⇒ innate immunity
- Works more efficiently with antigen specific antibodies produced by adaptive immunity
- > 30 proteins found in plasma and tissue fluids
- Concentrations at steady state levels unless system activated
- Made by liver
Complement
Cascade
- Successive proteins are converted from inactive to active forms
- Many are pro-enzymes that require proteolytic cleavage to become active
- Other are activated by a conformation change due to protein binding
- Product of one reaction initiates another
- There are 3 pathways of activation
Complement
Pathways
-
Classical
- Prefix “C” followed by a number 1-9
-
Lectin
- Descriptive names
-
Alternative
- Letters
Classical pathway requires generation of antibodies and requires 1 week or more for activation.
Alternative & Lectin pathways independent of adaptive immunity and are readily available for defense.
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Classical Pathway
1) Activation
(Requires Ca2+)
- IgG or IgM binds Ag ⇒ conformational change ⇒ exposes specific FC region sequences
- C1<strong>q</strong> of C1qrs complex binds to FC region of one IgM or at least two IgG
- When at least 2/6 knobs of C1q are bound at the same time ⇒ conformational change
- Brings active site on C1r into contact with C1s
- C1r splits and activates C1s (an esterase)
2) C4 and C2 cleavage by C1qrs
-
C1qrs cleaves C4 ⇒ C4a and C4b
- Hundreds of C4 can be cleaved by a single C1qrs ⇒ amplification
-
C4a
- Released into local environment
- Very short half-life
- Weak biological activity
-
C4b
- Cleavage revealed a thioester bond
- Can be covalently linked to pathogen surface
- Can be spontaneously hydrolyzed
- Also revealed a region that binds C2b
- Cleavage revealed a thioester bond
- C1qrs then cleaves C2 ⇒ C2a and C2b
- C2a ⇒ diffuses away
-
C2b binds to C4b on membrane surface
- Forms C4b2b = classical C3 convertase
- Half-life of a few minutes
- Forms C4b2b = classical C3 convertase
3) C3 cleavage by C3 convertase
-
Classical C3 convertase cleaves C3 ⇒ C3a and C3b
- C3 is the most prevalent complement protein in plasma
- A single C3 convertase can cleave thousands of C3’s ⇒ significant amplification
-
C3a
- Released into local environment
- Significant biological effects
-
C3b
- Most C3b covalently binds to pathogen membrane and functions as opsonin
- Eventually one C3b fragment binds to the C4b2b complex forming C4b2b3b ⇒ classical C5 convertase
4) Terminal Pathway
Common to classical, alternative and lectin pathways.
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Acute Phase Proteins
Acute inflammation causes macrophages to produce IL-6.
IL-6 induces liver to produce acute phase proteins including:
Mannose-binding protein (MBP)
C-reactive protein (CRP)
Mannose Binding Protein
(MBP)
“Mannose-binding Lectin (MBL)”
- Similar structure to C1q
- Binds terminal mannose groups on bacterial and yeast carbohydrates but not human cells
- Associated with 2 serum proteases ⇒ MBP-associated serine proteases
- MASP-1 and MASP-2
- Function similar to C1r and C1s
- When bound to a surface:
- MBP:MASP-1:MASP-2 complex able to cleave C4 and C2 to generate classical C3 convertase
C-Reactive Protein
(CRP)
-
Binds to the phosphorylcholine components on bacterial and fungi cell
- Does not bind to human PC
- Functions like an antibody
- Once bound to a surface, CRP is able to bind C1qrs and activate the classical pathway
Lectin Pathway
- Initiated by binding of MBP or CRP to conserved motifs on the surface of certain bacteria and fungi
- Binding activates the rest of the classical cascade
- MBP functions like C1qrs
- CRP functions like an antibody
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Tickover
Spontaneous hydrolysis by H2O of C3 ⇒ C3a and activated C3b(H2O)
Normally C3b(H2O) is rapidly degraded
Protection by an “activator surface” results in a rapid increase of [C3b(H2O)]
Alternative Pathway
- C3b (from C3 convertase) or C3b(H2O) (from tickover) binds factor B
- Binding facilitates cleavage of factor B by plasma protease factor D into Ba and Bb
- Ba diffuses into local environment
- Bb forms C3bBb or C3b(H2O)Bb
- Both forms act as alternative C3 convertase
- C3bBb bound and stabilized by factor P (Properdin)
-
Alternative C3 convertase cleaves C3 ⇒ C3a and C3b
- C3a enters local environment & has significant metabolic effects
- C3b complexes with more factor B and becomes activated by factor D ⇒ amplification
- When a C3b binds C3bBb ⇒ C3bBb3b ⇒ alternative C5 convertase
-
Alternative C5 convertase cleaves C5 ⇒ C5a and C5b
- C5a with significant metabolic effects
- C5b enters the terminal pathway
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Alternative Pathway
Inducers
Promotes the alternative pathway by sheltering C3b from proteolytic cleavage.
Includes:
- Gram-negative bacteria (specifically LPS)
- Cell wall components of certain gram-positive bacteria and yeast (zymosan)
- Certain viruses and parasites
- Cobra venom factor
- Depositions of IgA immune complexes
Terminal Pathway
Common to the classical, alternative, and lectin pathways of activation.
- Activated classical C5 convertase (C4b2b3b) or alternative C5 convertase (C3bBb3b) splits C5 ⇒ C5a and C5b
-
C5a released into the local environment
- Proinflammatory effects
-
C5b covalently binds to the membrane
- Initiates assembly of the terminal complement components to form the membrane attack complex (MAC)
-
C5a released into the local environment
-
Remainder of MAC complex is assembled non-enzymatically
- C5b binds C6, C7, and C8
- C8 inserts into the membrane
-
C9 polymerization
- 6-16 molecules of C9 bind to the complex, polymerize, and generate a transmembrane pore in the membrane called the membrane attack complex (MAC)
Membrane Attack Complex
(MAC)
- Transmembrane pore formed from C9
- Allows flow of solute & electrolytes across the cell membrane
-
Degree of damage depends on cell type
- Typically gram negative more suseptible
- Can lyse RBC’s
- Compromises nucleated cells until lysis
-
Some bacteria have developed strategies to inhibit or block complement cascade
- Capsule to prevent MAC formation
- Enzymes in cell wall that inactivate components of cascade
- Even if MAC fails to eliminate the cell, C3b remains intact on membrane & promotes phagocytosis
Complement Cascade
Regulation
-
Short half-life of products of complement cleavage
- C5a, C3b, C4b2b3b (Classical C3 convertase)
- Inhibitors
- Host cell protection mechanisms
Complement
Inhibitors
-
C1 inhibitor (C1-INH)
- Binds to C1r and C1s causing dissociation from C1q
- Inhibits proteolytic cleavage activity of C1qrs
-
Factors H and I
- Found in serum or bodily fluid
- Factor H binds C3b and facilitates binding of factor I
- Factor I converts C3b ⇒ inactivated iC3b
-
iC3b
- Cannot participate in complement cascade
- Can still act as opsonin