Lecture 6 - Complement System Flashcards
What is complement
A group of serum and cell surface proteins activated by
factors such as the combination of antigen and antibody
What does complement result in
generation of enzyme cascades that have a variety of biological consequences including cell lysis and
opsonization
What are the 3 pathways to activate complement
- classical
- alternative
- MB-lectin
When is the classical pathway initiated
when a complement fixing antibody (IgM, IgG) binds
antigen
What immunities are involved in the classical pathway
innate AND adaptive
Does the classical pathway occur in a primary response
YES
What happens in the classical pathway after the antibody is bound to antigen?
binding site for complement on Fc portion of the antibody opens up
What is the alternative pathway initiated by
C3b binding on the cell wall of pathogens
What is the most abundant complement protein in the blood
C3
What does C3 spontaneoulsy break down to in the alternative pathway
C3a and C3b
What happens when C3 b binds to mammalian cells
it is quickly innactivated
What immunity is the alternative pathway part of
INNATE
What immunity is not required for the alternative pathway to be innitiated
ADAPTIVE
What is the MB-lectin pathway initiated by
soluble pattern recognition molecules (PRR) that bind to carbohydrates on the microbe surfaces
What does MB-lectin pathway activate
enzymes that activate complement
What immunity is MB-lectin pathway part of
INNATE
What immunity is not required to activate the MB-lectin pathway
ADAPTIVE
Why is MBL pathway initiated on bacteria cells but not self-cells
mammalian cells do not have mannose on their surface
Where do the three complement pathways differ
initiation of the cascade
Where are the three complement pathways the same from
C3 through the terminal pathway and formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC)
What complement pathways are part of the innate defense
Alternative and MBL pathways
What pathways require adapte immune response to initiate
classical pathway
What does classical pathway require
IgM and IgG
What BINDING initiaites the classical pathway
Ag-Ab binding
What happens after the Ab binds the Ag in the classical pathway
conformational change in the Fc portion of Ab that allows C1, the first protein of the complement cascade to bind to the Ag-Ab complex
Why is one IgM or two IgG required for initiation
there must be 2 Fc binding sites for C1 to bind
What is more efficient at activating the classical pathway of complement
IgM