Localization of the human complement component C3 binding site on the IgG heavy chain

Alternative pathway amplification and infections

The alternative pathway (AP) is the phylogenetically oldest arm of the complement system and may have evolved to mark pathogens for elimination by phagocytes. Studies using purified AP proteins or AP-specific serum showed that C3b amplification on bacteria commenced following a lag phase of about 5 min and was highly dependent on the concentration of complement. Most pathogens have evolved several elegant mechanisms to evade complement, including expressing proteases that degrade AP proteins and secreting proteins that block function of C3 convertases. In an example of convergent evolution, many microbes recruit the AP inhibitor factor H (FH) using molecular mechanisms that mimic FH interactions with host cells. In most instances, the AP serves to amplify C3b deposited on microbes by the classical pathway (CP). The role of properdin on microbes appears to be restricted to stabilization of C3 convertases; scant evidence exists for its role as an initiator of the AP on pathogens in the context of serum. Therapeutic complement inhibition carries with it an increased risk of infection. Antibody (Ab)-dependent AP activation may be critical for complement activation by vaccine-elicited Ab when the CP is blocked, and its molecular mechanism is discussed.

Complement interactions with the pathogenic Neisseriae: clinical features, deficiency states, and evasion mechanisms

Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhea, while Neisseria meningitidis is an important cause of bacterial meningitis and sepsis. Complement is a central arm of innate immune defenses and plays an important role in combating Neisserial infections. Persons with congenital and acquired defects in complement are at a significantly higher risk for invasive Neisserial infections such as invasive meningococcal disease and disseminated gonococcal infection compared to the general population. Of note, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis can only infect humans, which in part may be related to their ability to evade only human complement. This review summarizes the epidemiologic and clinical aspects of Neisserial infections in persons with defects in the complement system. Mechanisms used by these pathogens to subvert killing by complement and preclinical studies showing how these complement evasion strategies may be used to counteract the global threat of meningococcal and gonococcal infections are discussed.

Expression of a novel complement C3 gene in the razor clam Sinonovacula constricta and its role in innate immune response and hemolysis

Complement component 3 (C3) is a core component of the complement system, and directly participates in immune regulation and immune defense. Isoforms of C3 have been reported in several species of vertebrate, but invertebrates, and more specifically clams, have been less well studied. An isoform of C3, named ScC3-2, was identified in Sinonovacula constricta (Chinese razor clam). ScC3-2 included eight conserved regions, a thioester bond and two predicted junction sites (α-β and α-γ). The gene was expressed in the liver, gill, foot, hemolymph, mantle, gonad and siphon tissues. The gene was significantly upregulated in umbo larvae, suggesting that initial larval immunity may develop in umbo larvae. Moreover, the ScC3-2 mRNA expression patterns after challenge with Vibrio parahemolyticus and Micrococcus lysodeikticus exhibited an obvious upregulation at 8 h in the hemolymph and at 4 h in the liver, respectively. Furthermore, ScC3-2 showed effective membrane rupture of heterologous rabbit erythrocytes. The ScC3-2 protein was located on the surface of the cells during the process of hemolysis. After a comparative analysis, we suggest that the major structure and function of ScC3 and ScC3-2 are analogous. Our findings suggest that ScC3-2 plays an important immune function, and an intricate complement response may exist in S. constricta.

Molecular mechanisms of action of anti-TNF-α agents - Comparison among therapeutic TNF-α antagonists

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is a potent pro-inflammatory and pathological cytokines in inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel diseases. Anti-TNF-α therapy has been established as an efficacious therapeutic strategy in these diseases. In clinical settings, three monoclonal anti-TNF-α full IgG1 antibodies infliximab, adalimumab, and golimumab, PEGylated Fab' fragment of anti-TNF-α antibody certolizumab pegol, extracellular domain of TNF receptor 2/IgG1-Fc fusion protein etanercept, are almost equally effective for rheumatoid arthritis. Although monoclonal full IgG1 antibodies are able to induce clinical and endoscopic remission in inflammatory bowel diseases, certolizumab pegol without Fc portion has been shown to be less effective for inflammatory bowel diseases compared to full IgG1 antibodies. In addition, there are no evidences that etanercept leads clinical remission in inflammatory bowel diseases. Besides the common effect of anti-TNF-α agents on neutralization of soluble TNF-α, each anti-TNF-α agent has its own distinctive pharmacological properties which cause the difference in clinical efficacies. Here we focus on the distinctions of action of anti-TNF-α agents especially in following points; (1) blocking ability against ligands, transmembrane TNF-α and lymphotoxin, (2) effects toward transmembrane TNF-α-expressing cells, (3) effects toward Fcγ receptor-expressing cells, (4) degradation and distribution in inflamed tissue. Accumulating evidence will give us the idea how to modify anti-TNF-α agents to enhance the clinical efficacy in inflammatory diseases.

Quantitative analysis of protein co-localization on B cells opsonized with rituximab and complement using the ImageStream multispectral imaging flow cytometer

Binding of the chimeric, humanized anti-CD20 mAb Rituximab (RTX) to B lymphocytes activates complement and promotes covalent deposition of C3 fragments (C3b/iC3b) on cells. Previous fluorescence microscopy studies, based on examination of B cell lines and of blood samples from RTX-treated CLL patients, suggest that C3b/iC3b is closely associated with cell-bound RTX. We examined Raji cells opsonized with serum and RTX with the ImageStream imaging flow cytometer. Cells were stained with fluorescently-labeled RTX and mAbs specific for C3b/iC3b fragments or for human IgG, and then imaged using the ImageStream cytometer and analyzed with an algorithm (Similarity Bright Detail Score, SBDS) which tests for co-localization of fluorescent probes. SBDS, calculated on 10,000 cells, verified that the majority of deposited C3b/iC3b is co-localized with bound RTX. In contrast, when cells were first opsonized in serum alone, washed and then reacted with RTX, SBDS confirmed that RTX and C3b/iC3b are poorly co-localized, thus demonstrating that cell-bound RTX directs deposition of C3b. In addition, a sulfhydryl-specific probe, maleimide conjugated to AF488, exhibited substantial co-localization with an anti-C3b/iC3b mAb on Raji cells opsonized with RTX and serum, thus validating maleimide labeling as an alternative for detecting cell-bound C3b/iC3b. The digital imaging method described should have wide applicability for quantitative analysis of co-localization.

C3b2-IgG Complexes Retain Dimeric C3 Fragments at All Levels of Inactivation

C3b2-IgG complexes are formed during complement activation in serum by attachment of two C3b molecules (the proteolytically activated form of C3) to one IgG heavy chain (IgG HC) via ester bonds. Because of the presence of two C3b molecules, these complexes are very efficient activators of the alternative complement pathway. Likewise, dimeric C3b is known to enhance complement receptor 1-dependent phagocytosis, and dimeric C3d (the smallest thioester-containing fragment of C3) linked to a protein antigen facilitates CR2-dependent B-cell proliferation. Because the efficiency of all these interactions depends on the number of C3 fragments, we investigated whether C3b2-IgG complexes retained dimeric structure upon physiological inactivation. We used two-dimensional SDS-PAGE and Western blot to study the arrangement of the C3b molecules by analyzing the fragmentation pattern after cleavage of the ester bonds. Upon inactivation with factors H and I, a 185-kDa band was generated under reducing conditions. It released IgG HC and the 65-kDa fragment of C3b alpha' chain after hydrolysis of the ester bonds with hydroxylamine. The two C3b molecules were not 65-kDa-to-40-kDa linked, because neither ester-bonded 65 kDa HC nor 65 kDa-40 kDa fragments were observed, nor was a 40-kDa peptide released after hydroxylamine cleavage. Factor I and CR1 cleaved the C3b2-IgG molecule to its final physiological product, C3dg2-IgG, which migrated as a 133-kDa fragment in reduced form. This fragment released exclusively C3dg (the final physiological product of C3b inactivation by factor I) and IgG HC. C3dg2-HC appeared as a double band on SDS-PAGE only at low gel porosity, suggesting the presence of two conformers of the same composition. Our results suggest that, upon physiological inactivation, C3b2-IgG complexes retain dimeric inactivated C3b and C3dg, which allows bivalent binding to the corresponding complement receptors.

An anti-C3b(i) mAb enhances complement activation, C3b(i) deposition, and killing of CD20+ cells by rituximab

We investigated deposition of the complement protein fragment C3b and its breakdown products (collectively designated as C3b(i)) on CD20-positive cells treated with rituximab (RTX) in the presence of normal human serum (NHS). Radioimmunoassay (RIA) demonstrates that about 500 000 C3b(i) molecules deposit per cell, and fluorescence microscopy reveals that C3b(i) colocalizes with bound RTX. Use of mAb 3E7, specific for C3b(i) bound to substrates, enhances C3b(i) deposition; > 1 million C3b(i) deposit when cells are incubated with NHS, RTX and mAb 3E7. Treatment of Raji cells in NHS plus RTX leads to robust cell killing (95%) after 24 to 48 hours, and mAb 3E7 significantly enhances RTX-mediated killing of Raji and DB cells. A cynomolgus monkey model based on intravenous infusion of RTX followed by mAb 3E7 demonstrated that RTX rapidly binds to B cells and promotes complement activation and C3b(i) deposition; fluorescence microscopy analyses revealed the same pattern of colocalization of C3b(i) on cell-bound RTX in vivo as observed in vitro. Preliminary in vitro studies with blood samples from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia lead to similar findings. These experiments suggest that complement plays a key role in the mechanism of action of RTX; moreover, the in vivo molecular form of RTX (and possibly other antitumor mAbs) in the circulation or in tissues may include C3b(i) molecules covalently bound to the therapeutic mAb, thus allowing it to interact with cells containing both Fc and complement receptors.

Serine 132 is the C3 covalent attachment point on the CH1 domain of human IgG1

The covalent binding of C3 (complement component C3) to antigen-antibody complexes (Ag.Ab; immune complexes (ICs)) is a key event in the uptake, transport, presentation, and elimination of Ag in the form of Ag.Ab.C3b (IC.C3b). Upon interaction of C3 with IgG.IC, C3b.C3b.IgG covalent complexes are formed that are detected on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis by two bands corresponding to C3b.C3b (band A) and C3b.IgG (band B) covalent complexes. This allows one to evaluate the covalent binding of C3b to IgG antibodies. It has been described that C3b can attach to both the Fab (on the CH1 domain) and the Fc regions of IgG. Here the covalent interaction of C3b to the CH1 domain, a region previously described spanning residues 125-147, has been studied. This region of the CH1 domain is exposed to solvent and contains a cluster of six potential acceptor sites for ester bond formation with C3b (four Ser and two Thr). A set of 10 mutant Abs were generated with the putative acceptor residues substituted by Ala, and we studied their covalent interaction with C3b. Single (Ser-131, Ser-132, Ser-134, Thr-135, Ser-136, and Thr-139), double (positions 131-132), and multiple (positions 134-135-136, 131-132-134-135-136, and 131-132-134-135-136-139) mutants were produced. None of the mutants (single, double, or multiple) abolished completely the ability of IgG to bind C3b, indicating the presence of C3b binding regions other than in the CH1 domain. However, all mutant Abs, in which serine at position 132 was replaced by Ala, showed a significant decrease in the ability to form C3b.IgG covalent complexes, whereas the remaining mutants had normal activity. In addition we examined ICs using the F(ab')2 fragment of the mutant Abs, and only those containing Ala at position 132 (instead of Ser) failed to bind C3b. Thus Ser-132 is the binding site for C3b on the CH1 domain of the heavy chain, in the Fab region of human IgG.

Assembly and regulation of the complement amplification loop in blood: the role of C3b-C3b-IgG complexes

Amplification of complement activation in blood and serum starts on multi-protein complexes that act as precursors of an alternative C3 convertase. Among these covalently linked C4b-, C3b-, and IgG-containing complexes C3b-C3b-IgG complexes represent the major species containing C3b and IgG. Recent work on their purification and characterization is discussed. Special emphasis is placed on the arrangement of ester bonds in these complexes and their dual type of partial protection from inactivation. Partial protection from inactivation is mediated by properdin which binds to these complexes in the complete absence of any other complement protein. High dose IgG, known to stimulate inactivation of these complexes, appears to lower properdin binding in a process that also involves factor H. Properdin stimulates factor B binding to these complexes and renders them far better precursors of a C3 convertase than C3b. The available information allows a suggestion for a new scheme on how the amplification loop is assembled and regulated in blood and serum.

The covalent interaction of C3 with IgG immune complexes

Antigens (Ags) are converted into immune complexes (antigen-antibody complexes, IC) as soon as they encounter their specific antibodies (Abs). In fluids containing complement, the process of IC formation and fixation of complement components occur simultaneously. Hence, the formation of Ag-Ab-complement complexes is the normal way of eliminating Ags from a host. C3b-C3b-IgG covalent complexes are immediately formed on interaction of serum C3 with IgG-IC. These C3b-C3b dimers constitute the core for the assembly of C3/C5-convertase on the IC, which are subsequently converted into iC3b-iC3b-IgG by the complement regulators. These complexes are detected on SDS-PAGE by two bands of molecular composition, C3alpha65-C3alpha43 (band A) and C3alpha65-heavy chain of the Ab (band B), which correspond to C3b-C3b and C3b-IgG covalent interaction respectively, and that identify opsonized IC (C3b-IC). C3b can attach to Fab and Fc regions of the Ab molecule with similar efficiency. The presence of multiple C3b binding regions on IgG is considered an advantageous characteristic that facilitates the elimination of Ags in the form of C3b(n)-IC. Ab molecules on the IC recognize the Ag, and also serve as a very good acceptor for C3b binding. In this way, Ags, even if they have no acceptor sites for C3b, can be efficiently processed and removed. When C3 is activated in serum by IC or other activators, secondary C3b-IgG covalent complexes are generated, with bystander monomeric circulating IgG, and thus constitute, physiological products of complement activation. These complexes gain importance when IgG concentration is extremely high as in cases of infusion of intravenous IgG (IVIG) in several pathologies. The covalent attachment of activated complement C3 (C3b, iC3b, C3 d,g) to Ags or IC links innate and adaptative immunity by targeting Ags to different cells of the immune system (follicular dendritic cells, phagocytes, B cells). Hence C3b marks Ags definitively, from the earliest contact with the innate immune system until their complete elimination from the host.

C3 binds with similar efficiency to Fab and Fc regions of IgG immune aggregates

The covalent binding reaction of the third component of complement (C3) with rabbit IgG immune aggregates has been studied by enzymic digestion of C3b-IgG adducts. In these adducts C3b was radioactively labeled in the free thiol group generated during activation of the internal thioester of C3. Trypsin digestion of 14C-labeled C3b-IgG adducts degrades C3b to a small antibody-bound 14C-labeled C3 fragment (14C-C3frg), whereas the antibody remains unaltered. Papain digestion of trypsin-treated 14C-C3frg-IgG complexes generated Fc and Fab fragments bearing equivalent amounts of covalently bound 14C-C3frg (43% and 40%, of the total C3 present in the aggregates, respectively). Hydroxylamine treatment of the 14C-C3frg-Fab and 14C-C3frg-Fc complexes released a 14C-C3frg of similar size (about 3-4 kDa) in which the N-terminal residue was the radiolabeled Cys1010. A fragment with the same radioactive N terminus and characteristics was obtained by sequential trypsin and papain digestion of purified C3 labeled with iodo-[14C] acetamide. Affinity-purified 14C-C3frg-Fc complexes digested with pepsin generated a mixture of radioactive peptides, most probably complexes formed by 14C-C3frg and C gamma 2 or the hinge digestion products, and 14C-C3frg-pFc' complexes. The latter was also immunoprecipitated with anti-Fc-Sepharose from the pepsin digestion supernatants of 14C-labeled-C3b-IgG complexes. Taken together these data indicate that, during complement activation through the alternative pathway by IgG immune aggregates, C3 is not bound to a single site on the antibody molecule. Both Fab and Fc regions of IgG are equally efficient targets for C3 anchorage. In addition, the data confirm the pFc' as a region of C3 attachment within the Fc portion, and strongly suggest that C3b is bound either to the C gamma 2 domain or the hinge or both.

Complement defense mechanisms

The susceptibility of complement-deficient individuals to various severe infections, and studies of the effector mechanisms involved in the destruction of infectious agents, demonstrate the importance of complement in providing an effective host defense system. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that complement not only plays a role in 'natural' defenses against infection and in enhancing the antibody-mediated effector mechanisms, but also influences adaptive immune responses directly.

Inhibition of IgM antibody-mediated aggregation of Trypanosoma gambiense in the presence of complement

This paper deals with the immune reaction between Trypanosoma gambiense and monoclonal IgM mouse antibody at equivalence with or without rabbit complement. Antibody-mediated trypanosome clumps formed in the absence of complement, and were readily dissociated by complement to become free. In the presence of complement, on the other hand, T. gambiense were not aggregated by the antibody. Free parasites adhered readily to cultured peritoneal macrophages. Complement-mediated dissociation of the clumped trypanosomes in the equivalence area released a large number of previously bound surface antigens. These antigens were capable of binding again to fresh IgM antibody. Experimental results further indicated that the complement system caused a functional alteration, changing the multivalent nature of the IgM antibody in the immune complex into a univalent one. This phenomenon is of great advantage to the infected host in clearing pathogens in vivo, as it allows more antibodies to attach to trypanosomes and subsequently initiate complement activity.

Complexes of IgG molecules and C3a and C4a complement components in human serum

A heterogeneous group of proteins was separated from human serum IgG using 5 M guanidine hydrochloride solution in 0.1 M acetic acid. The protein mixture was fractionated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and two proteins were isolated and identified as the C3a and C4a complement components (anaphylatoxins) according to their molecular masses and N-terminal sequences. Using a chemical cross-linking technique, the capacity of C3a and C4a to reassociate with the heavy and the light chains of IgG was shown. On the basis of the molecular masses of reconstituted complexes one molecule of C3a (or C4a) was bound to one heavy or one light chain of IgG.