H. Takematsu, Department of Dermatology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980 (Japan) Fig. 1. Relationship between the levels of C4d and Bb expressed per milliliter (a) and milligram protein (b) in the horny tissue extracts of psoriasis vulgaris (O), erythrodermic psoriasis (•). pustular psoriasis (¤) and pustulosis palmaris et plantaris (■). There is a si...

The complement activation product, C5a, is a key factor for regulation of inflammatory responses. C5a and C5adesArg bind to their receptors, C5aR and C5L2, but the functional roles of C5L2 remain controversial. We screened the patterns of 23 inflammatory mediators in cultures of LPS-activated mouse peritoneal elicited macrophages (PEMs) in the presence or absence of recombinant mouse C5a. Produ...

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is characterized by dysregulated complement activity, the development of a thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), and widespread end organ injury. aHUS remains a clinical diagnosis without an objective laboratory test to confirm the diagnosis. We performed a retrospective analysis of 103 patients enrolled in the Ohio State University TTP/aHUS Registry presen...

Both the complement and coagulation/fibrinolytic systems are essential components of the host defense system that evolved early in the evolution of vertebrates (Krem and Di Cera, 2002). While the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems are necessary for maintenance of the integrity of the vasculature, these systems also respond to infections, and together with the complement system, play an import...

To define the molecular mechanisms of cross-regulation among chemoattractant receptors, we stably coexpressed, in a rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cell line, epitope-tagged receptors for the chemoattractants formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP), a peptide of the fifth component of the complement system (C5a), and interleukin-8 (IL-8). All the expressed receptors underwent homologous pho...

The activation of the C1s-C1r-C1r-C1s tetramer in the C1 complex, which involves the cleavage of an Arg-Ile bond in the catalytic domains of the subcomponents, is a two-step process. First, the autolytic activation of C1r takes place, then activated C1r cleaves zymogen C1s. The Arg463Gln mutant of C1r (C1rQI) is stabilized in the zymogen form. This mutant was used to form a C1q-(C1s-C1rQI-C1r-C...

The complement system was discovered a century ago as a potent defense cascade of innate immunity. After its first description, continuous experimental and clinical research was performed, and three canonical pathways of activation were established. Upon activation by traumatic or surgical tissue damage, complement reveals beneficial functions of pathogen and danger defense by sensing and clear...

Several serum proteins have been shown to be important in modulating leukocyte chemotaxis and inflammation. We investigated the possibility that the multifunctional serum protein Gc-globulin (vitamin D-binding protein) may also enhance the neutrophil chemotactic activity of complement-derived peptides. Purified Gc-globulin by itself did not induce chemotaxis of human neutrophils. However, as li...

Human C5a anaphylatoxin is known to be a potent mediator of the acute inflammatory response. It serves to trigger a wide variety of neutrophil responses after binding to a specific cellular receptor. We have now demonstrated that this bioactive glycopolypeptide is also bound to a specific receptor found on murine resident peritoneal macrophages, thioglycollate-induced exudate macrophages, and t...