Regulatory system of guinea-pig complement C3b: two factor I-cofactor proteins on guinea-pig peritoneal granulocytes

Complement factor I is a plasma protease serving for proteolytic inactivation of C3b together with its cofactor. We have identified two factor I-cofactor activities in solubilized extracts of guinea-pig peritoneal granulocytes using guinea-pig factor I (Igp) and fluorescent-labeled methylamine-treated guinea-pig C3 (f-C3(MA)gp). One of these eluted from a chromatofocusing column between pH 7.6-7.1, and the other at about pH 5.7. These two cofactor fractions both interacted with Igp and, to a lesser degree, with human factor I (Ihu) on C3(MA)gp cleaving it into an inactive C3bi analogue, but did not cleave methylamine-treated human C3 (C3(MA)hu) together with Igp or Ihu. These factors are therefore species specific. The neutral and acidic fractions with cofactor activity contained C3(MA)gp-binding proteins with a doublet of 55 kDa and 42 kDa, and a singlet of 160 kDa, respectively, on SDS-PAGE. These proteins may be membrane cofactor protein (MCP) and C3b/C4b receptor (CR1) of guinea-pigs.     

Ancient Origin of Human Complement Factor H

We studied the evolutionary history of two homologous proteins of the human complement system, factor H (FH) and the α chain of the C4b binding protein (C4bpα), and included in this study the related proteins from the barred sand bass (P. nebulifer) and the nematode C. elegans. Phylogenetic trees inferred from individual short consensus repeats (SCRs) and divergence among repeats from different genes suggest that human FH has a much closer evolutionary relationship to putative complement components from P. nebulifer and C. elegans than does the C4bpα. This indicates that a member of the alternative pathway of the complement system (FH) has an ancient origin, while a homologous member of the classical pathway (C4bpα) appeared later in evolutionary history as a result of gene duplication. The ancient evolutionary position of FH is in agreement with the suggestion that the alternative pathway of the complement system is older than the classical pathway. Phylogenetic analysis also shows that the sand bass cofactor protein SBP1 and cofactor related protein SBCRP-1 have diverged very recently. Received: 1 December 1997 / Accepted: 3 June 1998     

Role of membrane cofactor protein (CD46) in regulation of C4b and C3b deposited on cells

C4b and C3b deposited on host cells undergo limited proteolytic cleavage by regulatory proteins. Membrane cofactor protein (MCP; CD46), factor H, and C4b binding protein mediate this reaction, known as cofactor activity, that also requires the plasma serine protease factor I. To explore the roles of the fluid phase regulators vs those expressed on host cells, a model system was used examining complement fragments deposited on cells transfected with human MCP as assessed by FACS and Western blotting. Following incubation with Ab and complement on MCP(+) cells, C4b was progressively cleaved over the first hour to C4d and C4c. There was no detectable cleavage of C4b on MCP(-) cells, indicating that MCP (and not C4BP in the serum) primarily mediates this cofactor activity. C3b deposition was not blocked on MCP(+) cells because classical pathway activation occurred before substantial C4b cleavage. Cleavage, though, of deposited C3b was rapid (<5 min) and iC3b was the dominant fragment on MCP(-) and MCP(+) cells. Studies using a function-blocking mAb further established factor H as the responsible cofactor. If the level of Ab sensitization was reduced 8-fold or if Mg(2+)-EGTA was used to block the classical pathway, MCP efficiently inhibited C3b deposition mediated by the alternative pathway. Thus, for the classical pathway, MCP is the cofactor for C4b cleavage and factor H for C3b cleavage. However, if the alternative pathway mediates C3b deposition, then MCP's cofactor activity is sufficient to restrict complement activation.     

Phylogeny of C4b-C3b cleaving activity: similar fragmentation patterns of human C4b and C3b produced by lower animals

Functional and structural studies of the activated proteins of the complement system C4b and C3b have led to the identification of cleavage products resulting from the effect of the regulatory proteins, factor I, H, and C4b binding protein (bp). In this paper we report the results of studies that investigated the capacity of plasma or serum from a wide range of phylogenetic species to yield similar cleavage products. Sera and plasma from mammals, reptiles, amphibia, and fishes are capable of cleaving fluid phase human C4b and C3b, generating apparently the same fragments as observed using normal human serum: alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4 from the alpha' chain of C4b: and alpha-68, alpha-46, alpha-43, and alpha-30 from the alpha' chain of C3b. When C3b bound to a cell membrane is used C3c and C3dg are generated. The generation of these fragments from C3bi is a dose-dependent reaction. There is no correlation between the evolution of the species and the quantitative capability to degrade the substrates. Birds possess only a limited capability to degrade the alpha' chain of C4b and have no cleaving activity for C3b, whereas sera from more primitive vertebrate species (chondrichthyes and agnatha) fail to participate in the reaction. Contrary to other species, the proteins in fish serum or plasma responsible for the degradation of C4b and C3b show a unique requirement for Ca2+ ions. Magnesium and barium are less effective, and in their presence a 65,000 dalton intermediate product is observed. These results demonstrate that protein(s) displaying proteolytic activity for products of complement activation, probably related to I, H, and C4bp, are present in plasma of species whose evolution have preceded humans by 300 million years. Moreover, the recognition of human substrates and the generation of fragments identical to those produced by human serum suggests that human C4b and C3b share structural characteristics with their evolutionary ancestors in the serum or plasma of the species studied.     

Mouse C3b/C4b inactivator: purification and properties

Mouse C3b/C4b inactivator (C3b/C4bINA) was purified approximately 400 times from mouse serum. It is a beta-globulin and consists of 2 disulfide bonded chains of m.w. 60,000 and 35,000. Under nonreducing conditions, its m.w. is 95,000. It cleaves the alpha'-chain of cell-bound C4b into 3 fragments: alpha 2, alpha 3, alpha 4. The alpha 2 fragments remain bound to the cell surface (C4d), and the rest of the molecule (C4c) is released into the fluid phase. In fluid phase, C3b/C4bINA cleaves the alpha'-chain of C4b in a similar manner but only in the presence of mouse or human C4-binding protein (C4-bp). Mouse C4-bp and human C3b/C4bINA do not cleave human C4b, although mouse C4-bp binds to human C4b. This incompatibility suggests that C4-bp and C3b/C4bINA must interact to cleave fluid phase C4b. Mouse C3b/C4bINA also cleaves the alpha'-chain of human C3b in solution into 2 fragments in the presence of human beta 1H. Therefore, it is likely that mouse and human C3b/C4bINA are homologous proteins. A monospecific antiserum to mouse C3b/C4bINA has been prepared in rabbits. By crossed immunoelectrophoresis, this antiserum detects, in addition to the protein described above, a fast beta-globulin with a m.w. of approximately 200,000 and antigenically identical to C3b/C4bINA but enzymatically inactive. This protein could represent a precursor of C3b/C4bINA.     

Plasminogen is a complement inhibitor

Plasminogen is a 92-kDa single chain glycoprotein that circulates in plasma as a zymogen and when converted to proteolytically active plasmin dissolves preformed fibrin clots and extracellular matrix components. Here, we characterize the role of plasmin(ogen) in the complement cascade. Plasminogen binds the central complement protein C3, the C3 cleavage products C3b and C3d, and C5. Plasminogen binds to C3, C3b, C3d, and C5 via lysine residues, and the interaction is ionic strength-dependent. Plasminogen and Factor H bind C3b; however, the two proteins bind to different sites and do not compete for binding. Plasminogen affects complement action in multiple ways. Plasminogen enhanced Factor I-mediated C3b degradation in the presence of the cofactor Factor H. Plasminogen when activated to plasmin inhibited complement as demonstrated by hemolytic assays using either rabbit or sheep erythrocytes. Similarly, plasmin either in the fluid phase or attached to surfaces inhibited complement that was activated via the alternative and classical pathways and cleaved C3b to fragments of 68, 40, 30, and 17 kDa. The C3b fragments generated by plasmin differ in size from those generated by the complement protease Factor I, suggesting that plasmin-mediated C3b cleavage fragments lack effector function. Plasmin also cleaved C5 to products of 65, 50, 30, and 25 kDa. Thus, plasmin(ogen) regulates both complement and coagulation, the two central cascade systems of a vertebrate organism. This complement-inhibitory activity of plasmin provides a new explanation why pathogenic microbes utilize plasmin(ogen) for immune evasion and tissue penetration.     

Enzymic assay of C3b receptor on intact cells and solubilized cells.

The C3b receptor of human erythrocytes is known to act as a cofactor for the cleavage of the complement protein C3b by the serine proteinase C3b/C4b Ina. The same cofactor activity is shown to be present on human tonsil B-lymphocytes. The cofactor activity of the C3b receptor can be assayed, on intact cells or in solubilized extracts of cells, by determining the rate of C3b cleavage in the presence of fixed concentrations of C3b and of C3b/C4b Ina. This assay method was used to compare the characteristics and relative quantities of C3b receptors on erythrocytes and lymphocytes. The cofactor activities associated with these two cell types resemble each other, but are distinct from the serum cofactor proteins, C4bp and Factor H, in antigenicity and in pH- and ionic-strength-dependence, and are distinct from Factor H in substrate specificity. Assay of cofactor activity in intact cells indicates that there are about 80-fold more receptors per cell on the lymphocyte surface than on erythrocytes. Assays with cells made permeable by detergent show that, whereas essentially all of the receptors on erythrocytes are on the cell surface, B-lymphocytes contain a large internal receptor pool, which makes up more than 80% of the total cofactor activity of the cell.     

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.     

Evolutionary relationships among proteins encoded by the regulator of complement activation gene cluster

Evolutionary relationships among members of the regulator of complement activation (RCA) gene cluster were analyzed using neighbor-joining and parsimony methods of phylogenetic tree inference. We investigated the structural and functional similarities among short consensus repeats (SCRs) of the following human proteins: the alpha chain of the C4b-binding protein (C4bpalpha), factor H (FH), factor H-related proteins (FHR-1 through FHR-4), complement receptors type 1 (CR1) and type 2 (CR2), the CR1-like protein (CR1L), membrane cofactor protein (MCP), decay accelerating factor (DAF), and the sand bass proteins, the cofactor protein (SBP1) and its homolog, the cofactor-related protein (SBCRP-1). Also included are the beta chain of the human C4b-binding protein (C4bpbeta) and the b subunit of human blood-clotting factor XIII (FXIIIb). Our results indicate that the human plasma complement regulators, FH and C4bpalpha, fall into two distinct groups on the basis of their sequence divergence. Homology among RCA proteins is in agreement with their chromosomal location, with the exception of C4bpbeta. The evolutionary relationships among individual short consensus repeats are confirmed by the exon/intron structure of the RCA members. Structural similarities among repeats of the RCA proteins correlate with their functional activities and demonstrate the importance of the N-terminal SCRs.     

Factor I-dependent inactivation of human complement C4b of the classical pathway by C3b/C4b receptor (CR1, CD35) and membrane cofactor protein (MCP, CD46).

Proteolytic inactivation of C4b is a crucial step for regulation of the classical complement pathway. A plasma protease factor I and membrane cofactors, C3b/C4b receptor (CR1) and membrane cofactor protein (MCP), participate in the regulation of cell-bound C4b although the physiological potency of these cofactors remains unknown. We have examined the optimal conditions of the factor I-mediated C4b regulatory system using purified cofactors. CR1 being a cofactor at a cofactor/C4b ratio less than 0.1 (w/w), fluid phase C4b, and methylamine-treated C4 (C4ma) were degraded by factor I into C4bi: minimal Cd4 was generated in the fluid phase. Liposome-bound C4b (LAC4b), on the other hand, was degraded into C4c and C4d. CR1 showed two optimal pHs (6.0 and 7.5) for fluid phase C4b, but one (6.0) for LAC4b, and in both cases low conductivity conditions enhanced the C4bi generation. CR1 cofactor activity was barely influenced by the NP-40 concentration. On the other hand, MCP degraded C4b and C4ma, as a factor I-cofactor, more efficiently into C4c and C4d. Though MCP cofactor activity, like that of CR1, was enhanced under low conductivity conditions, it has only one optimal pH, 6.0, in both fluid and solid phases. Furthermore, as in the case of C3b cleavage, a sufficient NP-40 concentration to solubilize membrane was needed for MCP to express full cofactor activity for C4b, in contrast to CR1. MCP was less potent for C4b inactivation than for C3b inactivation, while CR1 acted as a slightly more effective cofactor for C4b cleavage than for C3b cleavage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Recombinant generation of two fragments of the rat complement inhibitory factor H [FH(SCR1-7) and FH(SCR1-4)] and their structural and functional characterization in comparison to FH isolated from rat serum

Factor H (FH) is the predominant soluble inhibitor of the complement system. With a concentration of 200-800 microg/ml in human and rat plasma it acts as a cofactor for the soluble factor I (FI)-mediated cleavage of the component C3b to iC3b. Furthermore it competes with factor B for binding to C3b and C3(H2O) and promotes the dissociation of the C3bBb complex. FH is a monomer of about 155 kDa which comprises 20 short consensus repeats (SCR), each of which is composed of approximately 60 amino acid (aa) residues. Two functional fragments of FH comprising the SCR1-4 or SCR1-7 were generated using either the Baculovirus system or stably transfected human embryonal kidney cells, respectively. These fragments, as well as FH purified from rat serum, were first analyzed for their relative molecular weights (Mr) using non-reducing or reducing SDS-PAGE. The Mr of the FH variants differed by about 20% depending on the experimental conditions employed. Only the Mr of proteins separated under reducing conditions were in accordance with the MW calculated from the aa sequence. Analyses of the glycosylation patterns using PAS-staining showed a lack of staining of the recombinant variants (SCR1-4 and SCR1-7) in contrast to FH(SCR1-20) from serum. Using a complement hemolysis assay (CH50-assay) all three variants exhibited a molar complement inhibitory activity of FH(1-20)/FH(1-7)/FH(1-4) of about 3/1/1. These data support the postulated model of FH bearing three binding sites for its ligand C3b, from which one is located in the SCR1-4, whereas the other two are located in the SCR8-20.     

A covalent dimer of complement C4b serves as a subunit of a novel C5 convertase that involves no C3 derivatives

A C intermediate, LAC14, was prepared from TNP-aminocaproyl liposomes sensitized with anti-TNP antibody (Ab) and purified human C1 and C4. LAC14, containing radiolabeled C4, was analyzed by SDS-PAGE followed by autoradiography, and yielded a 210-kDa band and a predominant 400-kDa band. The 210-kDa band consisted of monomeric C4b bound to low molecular mass acceptors. The 400-kDa band was comprised of a 200-kDa moiety, as well as beta- and gamma-chains of C4. The 200-kDa moiety contained neither C1 nor sensitizing Ab, but it was largely decreased by treatment with NH2OH to the 90-kDa moiety with the mobility corresponding to the alpha'-chain of C4b. A covalent dimer of C4b, therefore, is the predominant form of C4b deposited on liposomes sensitized with antibody. The C4b-C4b dimer formed rapidly (within 5 min) followed by slow dissociation into monomers. The LAC14 bearing the C4b dimer but not the monomer was lysed, although with relatively low efficiency, by the addition of oxyC2 and EDTA-supplemented C3-deficient serum (C3DS), and, furthermore, LAC142 possessed the ability to convert C5 into C5a and C5b. Moreover, lysis was inhibited not by anti-C3 Ab but by anti-C4 Ab. In other experiments, the dimer served as an element of C3 convertase, as well. These findings imply that the C4b dimer, when complexed with C2, expresses C3/C5 convertase activity without participation of C3, and may provide a molecular mechanism whereby sera from patients with complete C3 deficiency retain the ability to induce C-mediated cytolysis.     

Importance of the alpha 3-fragment of complement C4 for the binding with C4b-binding protein.

The human regulatory complement component C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is a multimeric plasma protein, which regulates the classical pathway of the complement system. C4BP functions as a cofactor to factor 1 in the degradation of C4b and accelerates the decay rate of the C4b2a complex. Previously, we have demonstrated that monoclonal antibodies (C4-2 and 9) directed against the alpha'-chain of C4b inhibit the binding of C4b to C4BP. In order to identify the structural domain of C4b that binds C4BP, proteolytic fragments of C4 were generated with trypsin and Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, immunoblotting and amino acid sequence analysis of the proteolytic fragments reactive with the anti-C4 mAb's revealed that the residues Ala738-Arg826 of the alpha 3-fragment of C4b are important for the interaction with C4BP.     

Kinetic analysis of the interactions between vaccinia virus complement control protein and human complement proteins C3b and C4b

The vaccinia virus complement control protein (VCP) is an immune evasion protein of vaccinia virus. Previously, VCP has been shown to bind and support inactivation of host complement proteins C3b and C4b and to protect the vaccinia virions from antibody-dependent complement-enhanced neutralization. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in the interaction of VCP with its target proteins C3b and C4b have not yet been elucidated. We have utilized surface plasmon resonance technology to study the interaction of VCP with C3b and C4b. We measured the kinetics of binding of the viral protein to its target proteins and compared it with human complement regulators factor H and sCR1, assessed the influence of immobilization of ligand on the binding kinetics, examined the effect of ionic contacts on these interactions, and sublocalized the binding site on C3b and C4b. Our results indicate that (i) the orientation of the ligand is important for accurate determination of the binding constants, as well as the mechanism of binding; (ii) in contrast to factor H and sCR1, the binding of VCP to C3b and C4b follows a simple 1:1 binding model and does not involve multiple-site interactions as predicted earlier; (iii) VCP has a 4.6-fold higher affinity for C4b than that for C3b, which is also reflected in its factor I cofactor activity; (iv) ionic interactions are important for VCP-C3b and VCP-C4b complex formation; (v) VCP does not bind simultaneously to C3b and C4b; and (vi) the binding site of VCP on C3b and C4b is located in the C3dg and C4c regions, respectively.     

C4b-binding protein and a 60,000-Dalton plasma protein share antigenic determinants with membrane cofactor protein of complement.

Membrane cofactor protein (MCP) of the C system is a widely distributed regulatory molecule with C3b/C4b binding and factor I-dependent cofactor activity. A rabbit polyclonal antibody was raised against purified human MCP, and it was found to also immunoprecipitate C4b-binding protein (C4bp). Other related complement regulatory proteins, factor H, C3b/C4b receptor, and decay-accelerating factor, were not recognized by this polyclonal antibody to MCP. The cross-reactive epitope was sensitive to reduction with 2-ME and about 3% of the anti-MCP antibody reacted with C4bp. The amino-terminal 48,000-Da, chymotryptic fragment of C4bp was recognized by the antibody to MCP. This fragment of C4bp contains a seven-amino acid peptide that is identical, in its sequence and its location in the third short consensus repeat, to one found in MCP. Two polyclonal antibodies to C4bp, one raised to native and the other to reduced C4bp, did not cross-react with MCP. In addition to this one-way cross-reaction with C4bp, a protein with a m.w. of approximately 60,000 (p60) was found in two of three C4bp preparations that also cross-reacted with antiserum to MCP. p60 was present in trace quantities in the C4bp preparation and was successfully isolated from plasma by C3b affinity chromatography. Its Mr was distinct from that of MCP and other known C3b/C4b binding proteins. Furthermore, p60 was isolated by two different procedures and such material possessed no detectable cofactor activity. Based on these results, p60 is a plasma C3b-binding protein that shares epitopes with C4bp and MCP, and is probably not a soluble form of MCP.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel plasma protein which binds to activated C4 of the classical complement pathway

We report here the isolation and partial characterization of a previously unrecognized protease-sensitive plasma protein identified during the development of a novel protocol for the purification of the second component of human complement (C2). This new protein is physicochemically similar to C2. It coprecipitates with C2 on polyethylene glycol fractionation and specifically binds, like C2, to Sepharose-bound iC4/C4b. Binding occurs both in the presence and absence of C2. The purified protein has a chain structure similar to C2 as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis in the presence or absence of reducing agent and has a molecular mass of 120 kDa, only somewhat greater than C2 at 95 kDa. Both proteins radioiodinate under similar conditions to the same specific activities with each of two different methods that yield 10-fold disparate results. Quantitative Mancini analysis identifies 300 micrograms/ml of the 120-kDa protein in plasma and serum. The protein is present at normal concentrations in serum from individuals genetically deficient in C2, has no C2 functional activity, and is not cleaved as is C2 when serum complement is activated. Potent monospecific polyclonal anti-serum to each do not cross-immunoprecipitate using standard gel techniques. However, these anti-sera identify epitopes in common by Western blotting. The data presented indicate that the 120-kDa protein is a distinct plasma component and suggest that the protein is not an "immature" form of C2. Initial experiments to delineate a functional role for the 120-kDa protein have demonstrated a consistent inhibition of C1 site generation on EAC4b which is dose-dependent and reversible. Thus, this protein appears to be a new complement regulatory factor.     

Lipocortins are major substrates for protein kinase C in extracts of human neutrophils.

We have identified two major proteins in human neutrophils that are phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C (PKC) as lipocortins III and a fragment of a lipocortin-like 68-kDa protein. In electroporated cells, the 68-kDa protein was phosphorylated during stimulation of the cells with either FMLP or PMA. Lipocortins are of interest because of their Ca2(+)- and phospholipid-dependent actin binding properties and ability to inhibit phospholipase A2. Two crude fractions of enzymes and proteins exposed to [gamma-32]PATP in the presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, phosphatidylserine and 1,2-oleoyl-acetyl-rac-glycerol were analyzed by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. A number of proteins in a detergent-free fraction, including proteins at 36 and 32 kDa, were phosphorylated in the presence of these cofactors. In contrast, only two major proteins (35 and 32 kDa) were phosphorylated in a detergent-extracted fraction. Phosphorylation of the 36, 35, and 32 kDa proteins required the presence of Ca2+, Mg2+, and phosphatidylserine in our soluble fraction and detergent extract, indicating PKC-dependent phosphorylation. The 32-kDa protein phosphorylated in both the soluble fraction and detergent extract was identified as lipocortin III by immunoprecipitation with a cross-reactive antibody that recognized lipocortin I and comparison of cyanogen bromide (CNBr) cleavage patterns of this protein with a lipocortin III standard. The 68-kDa protein was identified as a lipocortin VI-like protein by immunoprecipitation with anti-calelectrin. Additionally, the CNBr cleavage pattern of the 68-kDa protein was similar to that of the 36-kDa protein phosphorylated in our soluble fraction. Autoradiograms of the 68- and 36-kDa fragments immunoprecipitated from our soluble fraction with anticalelectrin and cleaved with CNBr showed that both of these proteins were phosphorylated in this sample. Because phosphorylation is known to change the functional characteristics of the lipocortins, the potential exists to link PKC and lipocortins in neutrophils to regulation of granulemembrane interactions or mediation of inflammation.     

Identification of the missing component in the mitochondrial benzamidoxime prodrug-converting system as a novel molybdenum enzyme

Amidoximes can be used as prodrugs for amidines and related functional groups to enhance their intestinal absorption. These prodrugs are reduced to their active amidines. Other N-hydroxylated structures are mutagenic or responsible for toxic effects of drugs and are detoxified by reduction. In this study, a N-reductive enzyme system of pig liver mitochondria using benzamidoxime as a model substrate was identified. A protein fraction free from cytochrome b5 and cytochrome b5 reductase was purified, enhancing 250-fold the minor benzamidoxime-reductase activity catalyzed by the membrane-bound cytochrome b5/NADH cytochrome b5 reductase system. This fraction contained a 35-kDa protein with homologies to the C-terminal domain of the human molybdenum cofactor sulfurase. Here it was demonstrated that this 35-kDa protein contains molybdenum cofactor and forms the hitherto ill defined third component of the N-reductive complex in the outer mitochondrial membrane. Thus, the 35-kDa protein represents a novel group of molybdenum proteins in eukaryotes as it forms the catalytic part of a three-component enzyme complex consisting of separate proteins. Supporting these findings, recombinant C-terminal domain of the human molybdenum cofactor sulfurase exhibited N-reductive activity in vitro, which was strictly dependent on molybdenum cofactor.     

The protein S-binding site localized to the central core of C4b-binding protein

Human C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is a regulator of the classical pathway of the complement system. It appears in two forms in plasma, as free protein and in a noncovalent complex with the vitamin K-dependent coagulation protein, protein S. In the electron microscope C4BP has a spider-like structure with a central core and seven extended tentacles, each of which has a binding site for C4b, although the protein S-binding site has not been unequivocally pinpointed. C4BP was subjected to chymotrypsin digestion which yielded two major fragments, one of 160 kDa representing the central core, and one of 48 kDa representing the cleaved-off tentacles. We have now localized the protein S-binding site to the 160-kDa central core fragment. Using immunoblotting with a panel of polyclonal antisera, the isolated central core was shown to be completely devoid of 48-kDa fragments. The protein S-binding site was susceptible to proteolysis by chymotrypsin, but was protected by a molar excess of protein S included during the proteolysis. The 160-kDa central core fragment consisted of identical, disulfide-linked 25-kDa peptides and a proper disulfide bond arrangement was crucial to protein S binding. Using a direct binding assay it was shown that the isolated central core had the same affinity for protein S as intact C4BP.