Lecture 5: Complement

Question 1

What is complement?

Answer 1

A series of over 20 proteins circulating in the blood and tissue fluids

Question 2

What causes complement proteins to become activated?

Answer 2

Become sequentially activated in an enzyme cascade in response to the recognition of molecular components

Question 3

What is the function of complement?

Answer 3

• opsonise or cause direct killing of the target
• signalling to promote inflammation or chemotaxis

Question 4

What are the 3 different complement pathways?

Answer 4

Classical, lectin, and alternative

Question 5

What is a zymogen?

Answer 5

An inactive substance which is converted into an enzyme when activated by another enzyme

Question 6

What is the specific initiating steps in the lectin pathway?

Answer 6

Mannose binding lectin (MBL) and ficolins recognise and bind carbohydrates on the pathogen surface

Question 7

What is the specific initiating steps in the classical pathway?

Answer 7

C1q interacts with the pathogen surface or with antibodies bound to the surface

Question 8

What is the specific initiating steps in the alternative pathway?

Answer 8

C3 undergoes spontaneous hydrolysis to C3(H2O) to initiate eventual deposition of C3 convertase on microbial surfaces

Question 9

What is similar about all pathways?

Answer 9

All pathways produce a C3 convertase, which cleaves C3. C3b is left bound to microbial surface, while C3a is released

Question 10

What are the 3 outcomes from complement pathways?

Answer 10

Inflammation, phagocytosis, and membrane disruption

Question 11

How does complement induce inflammation?

Answer 11

C3a and C5a recruit phagocytic cells to the infection site and promote inflammation

Question 12

How does complement induce phagocytosis?

Answer 12

Phagocytes with receptors for C3b engulf and destroy the pathogen

Question 13

How does complement induce membrane disruption?

Answer 13

All pathogens generate a C5 convertase that leads to formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC), which disrupts the cell membrane

Question 14

What is TED?

Answer 14

A thioester domain found in the alpha chain of C3

Question 15

How is TED involved and affected by C3 cleavage?

Answer 15

• before cleavage, the thioester bond within TED is protected from reacting
• cleavage releases C3a, and a conformational change of C3b allows the thioester bond to react with a chemical group on the pathogen surface
• can be inactivated by hydrolysis

Question 16

What are the different C3 convertases in each pathway?

Answer 16

Lectin & classical : C4b2a
Alternative : C3bBb

Question 17

What are the different C5 convertases in each pathway?

Answer 17

Lectin & classical : C4b2a3b
Alternative : C3b2Bb

Question 18

What is the function of ficolins and MBL?

Answer 18

Recognise differences in oligosaccharides between different species

Eg. Yeast: terminal mannose residues, vertebrates: terminal sialic acid residues

Question 19

What does MBL do?

Answer 19

MBL monomers form trimeric clusters of carbohydrate recognition domains, which bind with high avidity to mannose and ficolin residues

Question 20

What does ficolin do?

Answer 20

Similar structures to MBL but have different carbohydrate binding domains (bind to oligosaccharides containing acetylation sugars)

Question 21

What is the process of C3 convertase?

Answer 21

• activated MASP-2 (MBL or ficolin associated) cleaves C4, where C4b binds to the microbial surface
• C4b bind C2, which is cleaved by MASP-2
• C2a and C4b bind to form the C4b2a complex
• C4b2a is an active C3 convertase which cleaves C3, where C3b binds to either the microbial surface or the convertase itself

Question 22

How are IgG involved in the classical pathway?

Answer 22

• Multiple IgG are needed for activation, as they bind to C1q
• Movement of Fc domain opens up C1q binding sites
• Number and position of IgG determines opening and strength of the pathway

Question 23

Why are structural changes of C1q needed for the classical pathway?

Answer 23

• Structural changes from IgG are needed for activation of C1r and C1a
• C1q will rotate inwards which leads to opening of the CLR stalk
• C1rC1s will pass from an inactive 8 to an active S shape confirmation