Two mouse monoclonal antibodies generated against human placental homogenate were found to react specifically with human complement component C3. In immunofluorescence of human tissues, these antibodies gave a bright linear staining outlining the glomerular basement membrane of the adult kidney and the trophoblast basement membrane of placenta. An identical staining pattern was observed with a ...

Myocardial ischemia is characterized by the liberation of adenosine and by complement-mediated inflammation. We have reported that amidated C3, formed when ammonia (NH3) disrupts the thiolester bond of C3, serves as an alternative pathway convertase, generates C5b-9, and stimulates phagocytic oxidative metabolism. We investigated whether the deamination of adenosine by adenosine deaminase in he...

Impaired T-cell reactivity is a feature of C3-deficient mice in several disease models. The mechanism behind the reduced T-cell response is, however, poorly understood. We explored the hypothesis that antigen-presenting cells (APCs) from C3-/- mice have impaired potency to stimulate antigen-specific T cells, in an alloantigen-dependent model. Our results show that C3-/- macrophages have reduced...

When serum from a patient with membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis and normal serum are mixed at 37 degrees C, C3 is rapidly broken down to two more rapidly migrating components. In the mixture, a heat-labile pseudoglobulin, designated as the C3 nephritic factor or C3NeF, reacts with a pseudogolbulin in the normal serum, designated as cofactor, to form a C3 inactivator. By analogy with th...

Abs to acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and complement are the major constituents of pathogenic events causing neuromuscular junction destruction in both myasthenia gravis (MG) and experimental autoimmune MG (EAMG). To analyze the differential roles of the classical vs alternative complement pathways in EAMG induction, we immunized C3(-/-), C4(-/-), C3(+/-), and C4(+/-) mice and their control litt...

Antibody to the polysaccharide capsule of type III group B streptococci (GBS) and complement are essential to host defense against systemic infection in neonates. Interactions between C3 degradation products and specific neutrophil receptors mediate the attachment and ingestion of these organisms. To evaluate the influence of capsule on C3 disposition, we compared the C3 fragments released from...

The complement is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of multiple liver disorders. However, its role in patients with HBV related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) remains unclear. Serum levels of the third and fourth complement components (C3, C4) and complement function (CH50) were examined in this prospective, observational study. Associations between their expression and dise...

Although quotient of alpha2 macroglobulin (Qα2MG) was previously reported to be useful for the evaluation of blood-brain barrier (BBB) function, it is not commonly used. We therefore evaluated BBB function among the various subsets of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) using quotient Q α2MG. Furthermore, we determined the correlation between Q α2MG and cerebrospinal (CSF) int...

The tentacle withdrawal reflex in the terrestrial snail Helix aspersa involves bending and retraction of the tentacles. When elicited by mechanical stimulation of the tentacle, the reflex is mediated by the conjoint action of the central and peripheral nervous systems. The neural circuit underlying the stimulus-response pathways was studied in vitro using a combination of morphological and phys...