Compliments from complement: a fourth pathway of complement activation?

Synapse Remodeling, Compliments of the Complement System

A growing body of evidence indicates that some proteins known for their immune functions also have distinct nonimmune functions in the normal uninjured central nervous system. In this issue, Stevens et al. (2007) demonstrate an unexpected requirement for molecules of the complement cascade in the remodeling of synaptic connections in the developing visual system.

Classical complement pathway activation in membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis.

Levels of components of the classical and alternative complement pathways and the activity of the C3 nephritic factor (C3NeF) were measured in serum specimens from patients with type I (subendothelial deposits) and type II (intramembranous dense deposits) membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) and the results compared with the levels in normal subjects. Although C3 and C5 concentration...

Complement Activation

The complement system is the most important biochemical cascade in the blood for the recognition, opsonization, and elimination of foreign materials. To date, the leading causes of death in the United States include cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes. New treatments are urgently needed to treat these devastating diseases and nanotechnology potentially provides n...

Complement activation after oxidative stress: role of the lectin complement pathway.

The complement system plays an important role in mediating tissue injury after oxidative stress. The role of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) and the lectin complement pathway (LCP) in mediating complement activation after endothelial oxidative stress was investigated. iC3b deposition on hypoxic (24 hours; 1% O(2))/reoxygenated (3 hours; 21% O(2)) human endothelial cells was attenuated by N-acetyl-...

Inherited Classical and Alternative Pathway Complement Deficiencies in Children: A Single Center Experience