Membrane defenses against attack by complement and perforins.

P183: Key Function of Complement System in Interactions between Pain and Nociceptors, C5a, and C3a

A part of the immune system that improves (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microorganisms and injured cells from an organism, attacks the pathogen's cell membrane, and encourages inflammation called complement system. It is main part of immune system. Over thirty proteins and protein pieces compose the complement system, including cell membrane receptors, an...

A collusion attack on the fuzzy vault scheme

The Fuzzy Vault scheme is an encryption scheme, which can tolerate errors in the keys. This leads to the possibility of enhancing the security in environments where these errors can be common, such as biometrics storage systems. Although several researchers have provided implementations, we find that the scheme is vulnerable to attacks when not properly used. This paper describes an attack on t...

Macrophage-expressed perforins mpeg1 and mpeg1.2 have an anti-bacterial function in zebrafish.

Macrophage-expressed gene 1 (MPEG1) encodes an evolutionarily conserved protein with a predicted membrane attack complex/perforin domain associated with host defence against invading pathogens. In vertebrates, MPEG1/perforin-2 is an integral membrane protein of macrophages, suspected to be involved in the killing of intracellular bacteria by pore-forming activity. Zebrafish have 3 copies of MPE...

Beyond lysis: how complement influences cell fate.

Complement is a central component of the innate immune system involved in protection against pathogens. For many years, complement has been known to cause death of targets, either indirectly by attracting and activating phagocytes or directly by formation of a membrane pore, the membrane attack complex. More recently, it has been recognized that complement may cause other 'non-classical' effect...

Resistance Against the Membrane Attack Complex of Complement Induced in Porcine Endothelial Cells with a Gala(1–3)Gal Binding Lectin: Up-Regulation of CD59 Expression