Biosynthesis and processing of pro-C3, a precursor of the third component of complement in rat hepatocytes: effect of secretion-blocking agents

Targeting complement components C3 and C5 for the retina: Key concepts and lingering questions

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains a major cause of legal blindness, and treatment for the geographic atrophy form of AMD is a significant unmet need. Dysregulation of the complement cascade is thought to be instrumental for AMD pathophysiology. In particular, C3 and C5 are pivotal components of the complement cascade and have become leading therapeutic targets for AMD. In this article, we discuss C3 and C5 in detail, including their roles in AMD, biochemical and structural aspects, locations of expression, and the functions of C3 and C5 fragments. Further, the article critically reviews developing therapeutics aimed at C3 and C5, underscoring the potential effects of broad inhibition of complement at the level of C3 versus more specific inhibition at C5. The relationships of complement biology to the inflammasome and microglia/macrophage activity are highlighted. Concepts of C3 and C5 biology will be emphasized, while we point out questions that need to be settled and directions for future investigations.

Liver ubiquitome uncovers nutrient-stress-mediated trafficking and secretion of complement C3

Adaptation to changes in nutrient availability is crucial for cells and organisms. Posttranslational modifications of signaling proteins are very dynamic and are therefore key to promptly respond to nutrient deprivation or overload. Herein we screened for ubiquitylation of proteins in the livers of fasted and refed mice using a comprehensive systemic proteomic approach. Among 1641 identified proteins, 117 were differentially ubiquitylated upon fasting or refeeding. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and secretory proteins were enriched in the livers of refed mice in part owing to an ER-stress-mediated response engaging retro-translocation and ubiquitylation of proteins from the ER. Complement C3, an innate immune factor, emerged as the most prominent ER-related hit of our screen. Accordingly, we found that secretion of C3 from the liver and primary hepatocytes as well as its dynamic trafficking are nutrient dependent. Finally, obese mice with a chronic nutrient overload show constitutive trafficking of C3 in the livers despite acute changes in nutrition, which goes in line with increased C3 levels and low-grade inflammation reported for obese patients. Our study thus suggests that nutrient sensing in the liver is coupled to release of C3 and potentially its metabolic and inflammatory functions.

Distinction between processing of normal and mutant complement C3 within human skin fibroblasts

Inherited C3 deficiency may result from mutations in the C3 gene affecting transcription or translation (type I deficiency). We described a type II C3 deficiency caused by a mutation yielding an abnormal non-secreted C3. The post-translational processing of mutant and normal C3 was analyzed in fibroblasts grown from skin biopsies. Mutant C3 is located mainly in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whereas normal C3 is seen evenly distributed throughout the cytoplasm. Most of the mutant C3 is degraded within the cell, and only a small fraction (around 8%) is secreted after 20 h chase. Processing of C3 at 19 degrees C was reduced in normal fibroblasts but completely blocked in mutant fibroblasts. ATP depletion blocked processing of normal proC3 to C3. In contrast, the mutant proC3 was partly degraded in ATP-depleted cells, yet its complete degradation and secretion were blocked. Intracellular degradation of the mutant C3 was not inhibited by NH4Cl, thus excluding cleavage within lysosomes. These results demonstrate that the type II mutant C3 studied here is retained in the ER probably by a quality contol machinery that identifies abnormal protein folding. Consequently, it is destined to undergo a two-step intracellular degradation; an initial ATP-independent step followed by an ATP-dependent step.

Modulation of liver intracellular C3 in mice by 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin

Earlier studies from this laboratory have shown that the complement system, especially the component C3, in female B6C3F1 mice is suppressed following TCDD exposure in vivo. However, the direct exposure of TCDD in vitro does not affect the C3-producing capacity of two types of hepatoma cells, as well as mouse primary hepatocytes. To investigate the effect of TCDD on C3 production by the liver following in vivo exposure, liver intracellular C3 levels and pro-C3, the precursor of the secreted C3, were examined in the present study. The results demonstrated that there was a dose-dependent increase of liver intracellular C3 levels (from 138% to 175% of control) immediately following TCDD (from 10 to 40 micrograms/kg) exposure. This increase was rapid (4 h after exposure), but transient (less than 2 h), and was not accompanied by an alteration of serum C3 levels. Studies using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis showed that the increase in liver intracellular C3 levels resulted from, at least partially, an increase in intracellular pro-C3. Serum C3 levels did not decrease until d 3 after exposure, when both liver intracellular C3 levels and pro-C3 in TCDD-treated mice were not different from those of the control mice. These results indicated that the modulation of liver intracellular C3 by TCDD did not correlate with the suppression of serum C3 levels following exposure.

Synthetic Alzheimer amyloid beta/A4 peptides enhance production of complement C3 component by cultured microglial cells

Primary microglial cultures prepared from newborn mice showed the production and release of the third component of complement (C3). Newly synthesized [35S]methionine-labelled C3 was purified by immunoprecipitation using anti-C3-antibody. C3 was detected by SDS-PAGE and fluoroaraphy of the immunoprecipitated protein from cell lysates as a 195 kDa band, and from the supernatants of cultures as two major bands corresponding to the C3 alpha-chain (125 kDa) and beta-chain (75 kDa), consistent with known C3 characteristics. Increased biosynthesis of C3 was elicited by endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Further, the synthesis of C3 was increased 5-10-fold in response to various synthetic peptides corresponding to the amyloid beta/A4 protein, which is the main constituent of extracellular amyloid deposits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The increased synthesis of C3 was shown to be dose dependent at concentrations of beta/A4 peptide ranging from 10 micrograms/ml to 50 micrograms/ml. These results suggest that complement components found previously in amyloid deposits may be partly derived from reactive microglia preferentially associated with senile plaques in AD brain.

Proteolytic cleavages of proalbumin and complement Pro-C3 in vitro by a truncated soluble form of furin, a mammalian homologue of the yeast Kex2 protease

We have recently purified and characterized a truncated soluble form of furin from which the predicted transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail were deleted (Hatsuzawa, K., Nagahama, M., Takahashi, S., Takada, K., Murakami, K., and Nakayama, K. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 16094-16099). Our results showed that furin resembles the yeast Kex2 protease with respect to both its enzymic properties and substrate specificity. Here we demonstrate that the soluble form of furin is capable of converting the precursors of albumin and the third component of complement (proalbumin and pro-C3, respectively) in vitro to mature proteins. Thus furin mimics the Ca(2+)-dependent proalbumin and pro-C3 convertases found in the Golgi membranes (Brennan, S. O., and Peach, R. J. (1988) FEBS Lett. 229, 167-170; Oda, K. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 17465-17471). Furthermore we show that the variant alpha 1-antitrypsin Pittsburgh, which is a specific inhibitor of the Golgi proalbumin convertase, inhibits not only the Golgi pro-C3 convertase, but also the soluble furin. These results suggest a role for furin in the cleavage of proproteins transported via the constitutive pathway.

Intracellular processing of complement pro-C3 and proalbumin is inhibited by rat alpha 1-protease inhibitor variant (Met352----Arg) in transfected cells

Complement C3, when its cDNA was transfected into COS-1 cells, was synthesized as a precursor, pro-C3, which was intracellularly processed into the alpha and beta subunits, although not completely. A cDNA for rat alpha 1-protease inhibitor (alpha 1-PI) was mutated in vitro to encode its variant with the modified active site (Met352----Arg). In cells co-transfected with the mutant alpha 1-PI cDNA and the C3 cDNA, pro-C3 expressed was secreted without being processed into the subunits. Co-transfection of the mutant alpha 1-PI cDNA and the albumin cDNA also resulted in the inhibition of intracellular conversion of proalbumin into serum-type albumin. No inhibition of the processing of each preform was observed in cells co-transfected with the normal alpha 1-PI cDNA. Taken together, the results indicate that the alpha 1-PI variant (Met352----Arg) expressed inhibits specifically an intracellular enzyme which is involved in the proteolytic processing of both pro-C3 and proalbumin.

Synthesis of the third component of complement (C3) by lectin-activated and HTLV-infected human T-cells

The third component of complement (C3) plays key roles in complement activation of both the classical and alternative pathways. The liver is the major site of C3 synthesis; monocytes, B-lymphocytes and leukemic cell lines of the myeloid lineage also synthesize C3. Here we report that the C3 gene is inactive in fresh T-cells, but active in T-cells treated with the lectin phytohemagglutinin (PHA). Northern blot hybridization studies show that PHA-activated T-cells and all the T-cell lines tested express the 5.3 kb RNA transcript reported for C3 in HepG2, a hepatoma cell line, and monocytes. We used radioimmune precipitation followed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to show that PHA-stimulated T-cells and T-cell lines, which are not infected with the human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV), synthesize and release C3 proteins with molecular masses of 185, 115 and 80 kD; HTLV-infected T-cell lines release C3 proteins of 170, 115 and 70 kD. In contrast, monocytes produced C3 proteins of 115 and 70 kD similar to the serum form of this protein. The role of T-lymphocyte C3 and the implications of HTLV-infection are discussed.

Brefeldin A arrests the intracellular transport of a precursor of complement C3 before its conversion site in rat hepatocytes

The effects of brefeldin A on intracellular transport and posttranslational modification of complement C3 (C3) were studied in primary culture of rat hepatocytes. In the control culture C3 was synthesized as a precursor (pro-C3), which was processed to the mature form with alpha- and beta-subunits before its discharge into the medium. In the presence of brefeldin A the secretion of C3 was strongly blocked, resulting in accumulation of pro-C3. However, after a prolonged interval the mature form of C3 was finally secreted. The results indicate that brefeldin A impedes translocation of pro-C3 to the Golgi complex where pro-C3 is converted to the mature form, but not its proteolytic processing, in contrast to the effects of monensin and weakly basic amines.

Carbohydrate structures of the third component of rat complement. Presence of both high-mannose and complex type oligosaccharide chains

We investigated the carbohydrate structure of the third component of complement (C3) newly synthesized by cultured rat hepatocytes. When the cells were incubated with [3H]mannose, [3H]galactose or [3H]glucosamine, these radioactive precursors were incorporated only into the alpha subunit of C3, demonstrating that only the alpha subunit contains oligosaccharide chains. [3H]Mannose-labelled C3 was purified from the culture medium by immunoaffinity chromatography. Oligosaccharides prepared by Pronase digestion and strong alkaline hydrolysis were separated into two fractions by Bio-Gel P-2 chromatography (Fractions I and II). The two fractions were analysed by concanavalin A-Sepharose chromatography, ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography, and Bio-Gel P-4 gel filtration before and after sequential exoglycosidase digestions. It was found that Fraction I contained two complex type oligosaccharide chains, (NeuAc)2(Gal)2(GlcNAc)2(Man)3(GlcNAc)2 and (NeuAc)3(Gal)3(GlcNAc)3(Man)3(GlcNAc)2, and Fraction II contained the high-mannose type, consisting mainly of (Man)8(GlcNAc)2. Taken together with the carbohydrate composition of rat serum C3, the results suggest that rat C3 has one high-mannose type oligosaccharide chain and two complex type chains in the alpha subunit, which is different from the proposal for human C3.

Effects of weakly basic amines on proteolytic processing and terminal glycosylation of secretory proteins in cultured rat hepatocytes

We examined the effects of weakly basic amines on the secretion and post-translational modifications of secretory proteins in cultured rat hepatocytes. Weakly basic amines such as methylamine, chloroquine and NH4Cl strongly inhibited not only protein secretion, but also the proteolytic conversion of a proform of complement C3, allowing the precursor to be released into the medium. The amines, however, had no effect on the proteolytic conversion of prohaptoglobin into its subunits. Since available evidence indicates that the conversion of pro-C3 occurs at the Golgi complex while that of prohaptoglobin takes place in the endoplasmic reticulum, it is most likely that the weak bases specifically affect the proteolytic event occurring at the Golgi complex. Electron microscopic observations confirmed that the amines caused morphological changes of the Golgi complex, consisting of dilated cisternae and swollen vacuoles. When the glycosylation of alpha 1-protease inhibitor and haptoglobin was examined, it was found that the amines caused a marked accumulation in the cells of both glycoproteins corresponding to the mature secreted forms. Neuraminidase digestion demonstrated that the glycoproteins accumulating in response to the amines had acquired terminal sialic acid. The results indicate that the amines do not significantly affect terminal glycosylation, in contrast with their definite effect on proteolytic processing, despite the fact that both modifications take place in the Golgi complex.