L4: Complement Flashcards
What part of the immune system is complement system part of?
Innate immune system
What are the phases of complement system in elimination of microbes?
Pattern recognition trigger → protease cascade amplification/C3 convertase→inflammation, phagocytosis, membrane attack
What fragments are produced when complement proteins are cleaved?
B factor which is larger and binds to pathogen
A factor which is smaller and released
What are the 3 different complement pathways?
Lectin pathway
Classical pathway
Alternative pathway
Which are the more prevalent complement pathways?
Classical and lectin
Alternative facilitates the other 2 pathways
What do all 3 complement pathways converge on?
Generation of C3 convertase
What does C3 convertase do?
Cleaves C3, leaving C3b bound to the microbial surface and releasing C3a
What are the effector pathways that occur after generation of C3 convertase?
- C3a and C5a recruit phagocytic cells to the site of infection and promote inflammation
- Phagocytes with receptors for C3b engulf and destroy the pathogen
- Completion of the complement cascade leads to formation of a membrane-attack complex (MAC), which disrupts cell membrane and causes cell lysis
How does C3 convertase activate C3 for covalent binding to microbial surfaces?
C3 protein has a thioester domain (TED)
Before cleavage by C3 convertase, the thioester bond within TED is protected from reacting
Cleavage of C3 releases C3a, and a change in conformation of C3b allows the thioester bond to react w/ a chemical group on the pathogen surface
The reactive thioester group of C3b in TED binds to pathogen surface
How can C3b be inactivated?
By hydrolysis
What are pathogen associated molecular patterns?
Most microorganisms express repeating patterns of molecular structures on cell surface
Will mostly express carbohydrate side chains w/ different sugars on them
For instance, N-linked glycoproteins of yeasts contain many terminal mannose residues
What are ficolins?
Ficolins are similar in structure to MBL but have a different carbohydrate-binding domain; they bind oligosaccharides containing acetylated sugars
Describe the lectin pathway up to generation of C3 convertase
Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) monomers form trimeric clusters of carbohydrate-recognition domains → MBL binds w/ high avidity to mannose and fucose residues on surface of microbe → associated w/ the MBL molecule are 2 serine proteases, MBL-associated protease 1 (MASP-1) and 2 (MASP-2) → MASP-2 becomes activated when MBL complex binds to the surface of the pathogen → MASP-2 cleaves C4 into C4a and C4b → C4b binds microbial surface → C4b then binds C2, which is also cleaved by MASP-2 → forms the C4b2a complex, which is an active C3 convertase
What is the first protein of the classical pathway of complement activation?
C1
What is the structure of C1?
A complex of different molecules: C1q, C1r and C1s
What are the roles of the components of C1?
C1q is the collagen region; main way to bind to pathogens
C1r and C1s are proteases
Describe classical pathway
The C1q component of C1 can bind by itself to the surface of the microbe or can bind to an antibody that is covering the microbe
What are the 2 forms that the C1 complex can exist in?
Aggregate macromolecular form (able to bind both antibody-covered pathogen and pathogen by itself)
More planar form