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Gao X, Iqbal H, Yu DQ, Gor J, Coker AR, Perkins SJ. The SCR-17 and SCR-18 glycans in human complement factor H enhance its regulatory function. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:107624. [PMID: 39098532 PMCID: PMC11417181 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Human complement factor H (CFH) plays a central role in regulating activated C3b to protect host cells. CFH contain 20 short complement regulator (SCR) domains and eight N-glycosylation sites. The N-terminal SCR domains mediate C3b degradation while the C-terminal CFH domains bind to host cell surfaces to protect these. Our earlier study of Pichia-generated CFH fragments indicated a self-association site at SCR-17/18 that comprises a dimerization site for human factor H. Two N-linked glycans are located on SCR-17 and SCR-18. Here, when we expressed SCR-17/18 without glycans in an Escherichia coli system, analytical ultracentrifugation showed that no dimers were now formed. To investigate this novel finding, full-length CFH and its C-terminal fragments were purified from human plasma and Pichia pastoris respectively, and their glycans were enzymatically removed using PNGase F. Using size-exclusion chromatography, mass spectrometry, and analytical ultracentrifugation, SCR-17/18 from Pichia showed notably less dimer formation without its glycans, confirming that the glycans are necessary for the formation of SCR-17/18 dimers. By surface plasmon resonance, affinity analyses interaction showed decreased binding of deglycosylated full-length CFH to immobilized C3b, showing that CFH glycosylation enhances the key CFH regulation of C3b. We conclude that our study revealed a significant new aspect of CFH regulation based on its glycosylation and its resulting dimerization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Gao
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK; Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hina Iqbal
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Ding-Quan Yu
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Jayesh Gor
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Alun R Coker
- Division of Medicine, University College London, London, UK
| | - Stephen J Perkins
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, UK.
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2
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Thurman JM, Harrison RA. The susceptibility of the kidney to alternative pathway activation-A hypothesis. Immunol Rev 2023; 313:327-338. [PMID: 36369971 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The glomerulus is often the prime target of dysregulated alternative pathway (AP) activation. In particular, AP activation is the key driver of two severe kidney diseases: atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and C3 glomerulopathy. Both conditions are associated with a variety of predisposing molecular defects in AP regulation, such as genetic variants in complement regulators, autoantibodies targeting AP proteins, or autoantibodies that stabilize the AP convertases (C3- and C5-activating enzymes). It is noteworthy that these are systemic AP defects, yet in both diseases pathologic complement activation primarily affects the kidneys. In particular, AP activation is often limited to the glomerular capillaries. This tropism of AP-mediated inflammation for the glomerulus points to a unique interaction between AP proteins in plasma and this particular anatomic structure. In this review, we discuss the pre-clinical and clinical data linking the molecular causes of aberrant control of the AP with activation in the glomerulus, and the possible causes of this tropism. Based on these data, we propose a model for why the kidney is so uniquely and frequently targeted in patients with AP defects. Finally, we discuss possible strategies for preventing pathologic AP activation in the kidney.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua M Thurman
- Department of Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado, USA
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3
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Moore SR, Menon SS, Cortes C, Ferreira VP. Hijacking Factor H for Complement Immune Evasion. Front Immunol 2021; 12:602277. [PMID: 33717083 PMCID: PMC7947212 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.602277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The complement system is an essential player in innate and adaptive immunity. It consists of three pathways (alternative, classical, and lectin) that initiate either spontaneously (alternative) or in response to danger (all pathways). Complement leads to numerous outcomes detrimental to invaders, including direct killing by formation of the pore-forming membrane attack complex, recruitment of immune cells to sites of invasion, facilitation of phagocytosis, and enhancement of cellular immune responses. Pathogens must overcome the complement system to survive in the host. A common strategy used by pathogens to evade complement is hijacking host complement regulators. Complement regulators prevent attack of host cells and include a collection of membrane-bound and fluid phase proteins. Factor H (FH), a fluid phase complement regulatory protein, controls the alternative pathway (AP) both in the fluid phase of the human body and on cell surfaces. In order to prevent complement activation and amplification on host cells and tissues, FH recognizes host cell-specific polyanionic markers in combination with complement C3 fragments. FH suppresses AP complement-mediated attack by accelerating decay of convertases and by helping to inactivate C3 fragments on host cells. Pathogens, most of which do not have polyanionic markers, are not recognized by FH. Numerous pathogens, including certain bacteria, viruses, protozoa, helminths, and fungi, can recruit FH to protect themselves against host-mediated complement attack, using either specific receptors and/or molecular mimicry to appear more like a host cell. This review will explore pathogen complement evasion mechanisms involving FH recruitment with an emphasis on: (a) characterizing the structural properties and expression patterns of pathogen FH binding proteins, as well as other strategies used by pathogens to capture FH; (b) classifying domains of FH important in pathogen interaction; and (c) discussing existing and potential treatment strategies that target FH interactions with pathogens. Overall, many pathogens use FH to avoid complement attack and appreciating the commonalities across these diverse microorganisms deepens the understanding of complement in microbiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara R Moore
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Smrithi S Menon
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Claudio Cortes
- Department of Foundational Medical Sciences, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - Viviana P Ferreira
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, Toledo, OH, United States
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4
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Dunne OM, Gao X, Nan R, Gor J, Adamson PJ, Gordon DL, Moulin M, Haertlein M, Forsyth VT, Perkins SJ. A Dimerization Site at SCR-17/18 in Factor H Clarifies a New Mechanism for Complement Regulatory Control. Front Immunol 2021; 11:601895. [PMID: 33552059 PMCID: PMC7859452 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.601895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Complement Factor H (CFH), with 20 short complement regulator (SCR) domains, regulates the alternative pathway of complement in part through the interaction of its C-terminal SCR-19 and SCR-20 domains with host cell-bound C3b and anionic oligosaccharides. In solution, CFH forms small amounts of oligomers, with one of its self-association sites being in the SCR-16/20 domains. In order to correlate CFH function with dimer formation and the occurrence of rare disease-associated variants in SCR-16/20, we identified the dimerization site in SCR-16/20. For this, we expressed, in Pichia pastoris, the five domains in SCR-16/20 and six fragments of this with one-three domains (SCR-19/20, SCR-18/20, SCR-17/18, SCR-16/18, SCR-17 and SCR-18). Size-exclusion chromatography suggested that SCR dimer formation occurred in several fragments. Dimer formation was clarified using analytical ultracentrifugation, where quantitative c(s) size distribution analyses showed that SCR-19/20 was monomeric, SCR-18/20 was slightly dimeric, SCR-16/20, SCR-16/18 and SCR-18 showed more dimer formation, and SCR-17 and SCR-17/18 were primarily dimeric with dissociation constants of ~5 µM. The combination of these results located the SCR-16/20 dimerization site at SCR-17 and SCR-18. X-ray solution scattering experiments and molecular modelling fits confirmed the dimer site to be at SCR-17/18, this dimer being a side-by-side association of the two domains. We propose that the self-association of CFH at SCR-17/18 enables higher concentrations of CFH to be achieved when SCR-19/20 are bound to host cell surfaces in order to protect these better during inflammation. Dimer formation at SCR-17/18 clarified the association of genetic variants throughout SCR-16/20 with renal disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orla M Dunne
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Life Sciences Group, Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France
| | - Xin Gao
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Division of Medicine, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ruodan Nan
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jayesh Gor
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Penelope J Adamson
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - David L Gordon
- Department of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, Australia
| | - Martine Moulin
- Life Sciences Group, Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France
| | | | - V Trevor Forsyth
- Life Sciences Group, Institut Laue Langevin, Grenoble, France.,Faculty of Natural Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J Perkins
- Division of Biosciences, Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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5
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Kadkhodayi-Kholghi N, Bhatt JS, Gor J, McDermott LC, Gale DP, Perkins SJ. The solution structure of the complement deregulator FHR5 reveals a compact dimer and provides new insights into CFHR5 nephropathy. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:16342-16358. [PMID: 32928961 PMCID: PMC7705313 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.015132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The human complement Factor H-related 5 protein (FHR5) antagonizes the main circulating complement regulator Factor H, resulting in the deregulation of complement activation. FHR5 normally contains nine short complement regulator (SCR) domains, but a FHR5 mutant has been identified with a duplicated N-terminal SCR-1/2 domain pair that causes CFHR5 nephropathy. To understand how this duplication causes disease, we characterized the solution structure of native FHR5 by analytical ultracentrifugation and small-angle X-ray scattering. Sedimentation velocity and X-ray scattering indicated that FHR5 was dimeric, with a radius of gyration (Rg ) of 5.5 ± 0.2 nm and a maximum protein length of 20 nm for its 18 domains. This result indicated that FHR5 was even more compact than the main regulator Factor H, which showed an overall length of 26-29 nm for its 20 SCR domains. Atomistic modeling for FHR5 generated a library of 250,000 physically realistic trial arrangements of SCR domains for scattering curve fits. Only compact domain structures in this library fit well to the scattering data, and these structures readily accommodated the extra SCR-1/2 domain pair present in CFHR5 nephropathy. This model indicated that mutant FHR5 can form oligomers that possess additional binding sites for C3b in FHR5. We conclude that the deregulation of complement regulation by the FHR5 mutant can be rationalized by the enhanced binding of FHR5 oligomers to C3b deposited on host cell surfaces. Our FHR5 structures thus explained key features of the mechanism and pathology of CFHR5 nephropathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nilufar Kadkhodayi-Kholghi
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jayesh S Bhatt
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jayesh Gor
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Daniel P Gale
- UCL Department of Renal Medicine, Royal Free Hospital, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen J Perkins
- Department of Structural and Molecular Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
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6
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Direct activation of the alternative complement pathway by SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins is blocked by factor D inhibition. Blood 2020; 136:2080-2089. [PMID: 32877502 PMCID: PMC7596849 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020008248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 252] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious respiratory virus that can lead to venous/arterial thrombosis, stroke, renal failure, myocardial infarction, thrombocytopenia, and other end-organ damage. Animal models demonstrating end-organ protection in C3-deficient mice and evidence of complement activation in humans have led to the hypothesis that SARS-CoV-2 triggers complement-mediated endothelial damage, but the mechanism is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (subunit 1 and 2), but not the N protein, directly activates the alternative pathway of complement (APC). Complement-dependent killing using the modified Ham test is blocked by either C5 or factor D inhibition. C3 fragments and C5b-9 are deposited on TF1PIGAnull target cells, and complement factor Bb is increased in the supernatant from spike protein–treated cells. C5 inhibition prevents the accumulation of C5b-9 on cells, but not C3c; however, factor D inhibition prevents both C3c and C5b-9 accumulation. Addition of factor H mitigates the complement attack. In conclusion, SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins convert nonactivator surfaces to activator surfaces by preventing the inactivation of the cell-surface APC convertase. APC activation may explain many of the clinical manifestations (microangiopathy, thrombocytopenia, renal injury, and thrombophilia) of COVID-19 that are also observed in other complement-driven diseases such as atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome and catastrophic antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. C5 inhibition prevents accumulation of C5b-9 in vitro but does not prevent upstream complement activation in response to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins.
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7
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Haque A, Cortes C, Alam MN, Sreedhar M, Ferreira VP, Pangburn MK. Characterization of Binding Properties of Individual Functional Sites of Human Complement Factor H. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1728. [PMID: 32849614 PMCID: PMC7417313 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Factor H exists as a 155,000 dalton, extended protein composed of twenty small domains which is flexible enough that it folds back on itself. Factor H regulates complement activation through its interactions with C3b and polyanions. Three binding sites for C3b and multiple polyanion binding sites have been identified on Factor H. In intact Factor H these sites appear to act synergistically making their individual contributions difficult to distinguish. Recombinantly expressed fragments of human Factor H were examined using surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for interactions with C3, C3b, iC3b, C3c, and C3d. Eleven recombinant proteins of lengths from one to twenty domains were used to show that the three C3b-binding sites exhibit 100-fold different affinities for C3b. The N-terminal site [complement control protein (CCP) domains 1-6] bound C3b with a Kd of 0.08 μM and this interaction was not influenced by the presence or absence of domains 7 and 8. Full length Factor H similarly exhibited a Kd for C3b of 0.1 μM. Unexpectedly, the N-terminal site (CCP 1-6) bound native C3 with a Kd of 0.4 μM. The C-terminal domains (CCP 19-20) exhibited a Kd of 1.7 μM for C3b. We localized a weak third C3b binding site in the CCP 13-15 region with a Kd estimated to be ~15 μM. The C-terminal site (CCP 19-20) bound C3b, iC3b, and C3d equally well with a Kd of 1 to 2 μM. In order to identify and compare regions of Factor H that interact with polyanions a family of 18 overlapping three domain recombinant proteins spanning the entire length of Factor H were expressed and purified. Immobilized heparin was used as a model polyanion and SPR confirmed the presence of heparin binding sites in CCP 6-8 (Kd 1.2 μM) and in CCP 19-20 (4.9 μM) and suggested the existence of a weak third polyanion binding site in the center of Factor H (CCP 11-13). Our results unveil the relative contributions of different regions of Factor H to its regulation of complement, and may contribute to the understanding of how defects in certain Factor H domains lead to disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aftabul Haque
- Center for Biomedical Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler, TX, United States.,The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Claudio Cortes
- Department of Foundational Medical Sciences, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, United States
| | - M Nurul Alam
- Center for Biomedical Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler, TX, United States.,Department of Biology, College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, Texas A&M University-Texarkana, Texarkana, TX, United States
| | - Maladi Sreedhar
- Center for Biomedical Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler, TX, United States
| | - Viviana P Ferreira
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Toledo College of Medicine, Toledo, OH, United States
| | - Michael K Pangburn
- Center for Biomedical Research, University of Texas Health Science Center, Tyler, TX, United States
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8
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Ruben E, Planer W, Chinnaraj M, Chen Z, Zuo X, Pengo V, De Filippis V, Alluri RK, McCrae KR, Macor P, Tedesco F, Pozzi N. The J-elongated conformation of β 2-glycoprotein I predominates in solution: implications for our understanding of antiphospholipid syndrome. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:10794-10806. [PMID: 32518155 PMCID: PMC7397106 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.013939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2020] [Revised: 06/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
β2-Glycoprotein I (β2GPI) is an abundant plasma protein displaying phospholipid-binding properties. Because it binds phospholipids, it is a target of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) in antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), a life-threatening autoimmune thrombotic disease. Indeed, aPLs prefer membrane-bound β2GPI to that in solution. β2GPI exists in two almost equally populated redox states: oxidized, in which all the disulfide bonds are formed, and reduced, in which one or more disulfide bonds are broken. Furthermore, β2GPI can adopt multiple conformations (i.e. J-elongated, S-twisted, and O-circular). While strong evidence indicates that the J-form is the structure bound to aPLs, which conformation exists and predominates in solution remains controversial, and so is the conformational pathway leading to the bound state. Here, we report that human recombinant β2GPI purified under native conditions is oxidized. Moreover, under physiological pH and salt concentrations, this oxidized form adopts a J-elongated, flexible conformation, not circular or twisted, in which the N-terminal domain I (DI) and the C-terminal domain V (DV) are exposed to the solvent. Consistent with this model, binding kinetics and mutagenesis experiments revealed that in solution the J-form interacts with negatively charged liposomes and with MBB2, a monoclonal anti-DI antibody that recapitulates most of the features of pathogenic aPLs. We conclude that the preferential binding of aPLs to phospholipid-bound β2GPI arises from the ability of its preexisting J-form to accumulate on the membranes, thereby offering an ideal environment for aPL binding. We propose that targeting the J-form of β2GPI provides a strategy to block pathogenic aPLs in APS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Ruben
- Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - William Planer
- Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Mathivanan Chinnaraj
- Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Zhiwei Chen
- Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Xiaobing Zuo
- X-Ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, USA
| | - Vittorio Pengo
- Thrombosis Research Laboratory, Department of Cardiac Thoracic and Vascular Sciences, and Public Health, University of Padova, Padova, Italy,Arianna Foundation on Anticoagulation, Bologna, Italy
| | - Vincenzo De Filippis
- Department of Pharmaceutical & Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Ravi K. Alluri
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Keith R. McCrae
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Paolo Macor
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Francesco Tedesco
- Istituto Auxologico Italiano, IRCCS, Laboratory of Immuno-Rheumatology, Milan, Italy
| | - Nicola Pozzi
- Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA,For correspondence: Nicola Pozzi,
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9
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Perkins SJ. Genetic and Protein Structural Evaluation of Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome and C3 Glomerulopathy. Adv Chronic Kidney Dis 2020; 27:120-127.e4. [PMID: 32553244 DOI: 10.1053/j.ackd.2020.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) and C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) are associated with loss of regulation of the alternative pathway of complement and its resulting overactivation. As rare diseases, genetic variants leading to aHUS and C3G were previously analysed in relatively low patient numbers. To improve this analysis, data were pooled from six centres. Totals of 610 rare variants for aHUS and 82 for C3G were presented in an interactive database for 13 genes. Using allele frequency comparisons with the Exome Aggregation Consortium as a reference genome, the patients with aHUS showed significantly more protein-altering ultrarare variants (allele frequency <0.01%) in five genes CFH, CFI, CD46, C3, and DGKE. In patients with C3G, the corresponding association was only found for C3 and CFH. Protein structure analyses of these five proteins showed distinct differences in the positioning of these variants in C3 and FH. For aHUS, variants were clustered at the C-terminus of FH and implicated changes in the binding of FH to host cell surfaces. For C3G, variants were clustered at the N-terminal C3b binding site of FH and implicated changes in the fluid-phase regulation of C3b. We discuss the utility of the Web database as a patient resource for clinicians.
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10
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Makou E, Bailey RG, Johnston H, Parkin JD, Hulme AN, Hähner G, Barlow PN. Combining SPR with atomic-force microscopy enables single-molecule insights into activation and suppression of the complement cascade. J Biol Chem 2019; 294:20148-20163. [PMID: 31719147 PMCID: PMC6937562 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra119.010913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Activation and suppression of the complement system compete on every serum-exposed surface, host or foreign. Potentially harmful outcomes of this competition depend on surface molecules through mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. Combining surface plasmon resonance (SPR) with atomic force microscopy (AFM), here we studied two complement system proteins at the single-molecule level: C3b, the proteolytically activated form of C3, and factor H (FH), the surface-sensing C3b-binding complement regulator. We used SPR to monitor complement initiation occurring through a positive-feedback loop wherein surface-deposited C3b participates in convertases that cleave C3, thereby depositing more C3b. Over multiple cycles of flowing factor B, factor D, and C3 over the SPR chip, we amplified C3b from ∼20 to ∼220 molecules·μm−2. AFM revealed C3b clusters of up to 20 molecules and solitary C3b molecules deposited up to 200 nm away from the clusters. A force of 0.17 ± 0.02 nanonewtons was needed to pull a single FH molecule, anchored to the AFM probe, from its complex with surface-attached C3b. The extent to which FH molecules stretched before detachment varied widely among complexes. Performing force-distance measurements with FH(D1119G), a variant lacking one of the C3b-binding sites and causing atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, we found that it detached more uniformly and easily. In further SPR experiments, KD values between FH and C3b on a custom-made chip surface were 5-fold tighter than on commercial chips and similar to those on erythrocytes. These results suggest that the chemistry at the surface on which FH acts drives conformational adjustments that are functionally critical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisavet Makou
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Chemistry Building, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FJ, United Kingdom
| | - Richard G Bailey
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9ST, United Kingdom
| | - Heather Johnston
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Chemistry Building, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FJ, United Kingdom
| | - John D Parkin
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9ST, United Kingdom
| | - Alison N Hulme
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Chemistry Building, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FJ, United Kingdom
| | - Georg Hähner
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9ST, United Kingdom
| | - Paul N Barlow
- EaStChem School of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, Joseph Black Chemistry Building, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3FJ, United Kingdom .,School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland EH9 3JY, United Kingdom
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