Complement factor H related protein 5 (CFHR5) nephropathy is a monogenic disorder of complement regulation that is endemic in Cyprus. The disease is characterised by haematuria, C3 glomerulonephritis and kidney failure. Its identification suggests a role for the CFHR5 protein in the regulation of complement in the kidney. In this review, we discuss how studying CFHR5 nephropathy can contribute ...

OBJECTIVE The complement system contributes to autoimmune injury, but its involvement in promoting the development of autoimmune diabetes is unknown. In this study, our goal was to ascertain the role of complement C3 in autoimmune diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Susceptibility to diabetes development after multiple low-dose streptozotocin treatment in wild-type (WT) and C3-deficient mic...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The purpose of this review is to summarize our current understanding of the principal characteristics of C3 glomerulopathy as a framework for patient evaluation with the goal of setting the stage for a mechanistic approach to treatment. We also review published treatment experience and comment on future initiatives to devise treatment protocols for this rare renal disease pati...

The two classes of human complement component C4 proteins C4A and C4B manifest differential chemical reactivities and binding affinities towards target surfaces and complement receptor CR1. There are multiple, polymorphic allotypes of C4A and C4B proteins. A complex multiplication pattern of C4A and C4B genes with variations in gene size, gene dosage and flanking genes exists in the population....

Dysregulation of the complement system is evident in many CNS diseases but mechanisms regulating complement activation in the CNS remain unclear. In a recent large rat genome-wide expression profiling and linkage analysis we found co-regulation of complement C3 immediately downstream of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), an enzyme hydrolyzing acetylcholine (ACh), a classical neurotransmitter with i...

Cigarette smoking is associated with significant increases in the number of pulmonary mononuclear phagocytes and neutrophils. A potent chemoattractant for these cells is C5a, a peptide generated during complement (C) activation. We, therefore, investigated the possibility that cigarette smoke could activate the complement system in vitro. Our results show that factor(s) (mol wt less than 1,000)...

C3 and C3b, the components central to the complement activation, also play a damaging role in several inflammatory disorders. Vaccinia virus complement control protein (VCP) and curcumin (Cur) are natural compounds with different biological origins reported to regulate complement activation. However, both VCP and Cur have not been investigated for their interaction with the third component (C3)...

Activation of the complement system by IgA was investigated with immune complexes containing a mouse IgA myeloma protein with specificity for phosphorylcholine linked to bovine serum albumin (PC-BSA). These IgA anti-PC-BSA immune complexes activated the alternative complement pathway in mouse and guinea pig serum, while human complement was not affected. The activation proceeded with consumptio...

The complement system plays an essential role in the innate immune response and protection against bacterial infections. However, detailed knowledge regarding the role of complement in Staphylococcus aureus septic arthritis is still largely missing. In this study, we elucidated the roles of selected complement proteins in S. aureus septic arthritis. Mice lacking the complement component 3 (C3(-...