The Classical Pathway

The principal pathway of complement activation, which is part of the innate immunity of the organism, is the alternative pathway. The designation of this pathway as alternative reflects order of discovery and acceptance, not 

P (properdin) can also bind to the C3 convertase. Its role is to stabilize the complex and hence it is considered a cofactor-activator in the alternative pathway. These components plus additional C3b molecules form the C5 convertase, an enzyme complex that peoteolytically converts C5 to C5a and CSb. Properdin stabilizes C3b and Bb in the complex and protects these proteins from proteolytic inactivation by factor I. Factor H competes for Bb in the C5 convertases, the same as it does in the C3 convertase. The alternative pathway has also been called the properdin pathway because of properdin s participation in alternative pathway C3 and C5 convertases. C5b is a component in the terminal complex of the complement activation process, the MAC. The MAC is composed of a self-assembled, noncovalent complex of C5b, C6, C7, C8, and C9. Together these components produce a pore-like structure that makes the membrane of the cell to which it is attached permeable and causes cell death. Under the electron microscope the MAC appears like an impact crater similar to those observed on the surface of the moon. C5a is also an anaphylatoxin like C3a, but it is more potent. C5a is also a chemokine and attracts phagocytic cells to the site of complement activation. 

The classical pathway of complement activation is closely linked to acquired immunity because it is initiated by antigen-antibody complexes binding to Cl, the first component of this pathway. Antigen-antibody complexes that 

The next step in the sequence of classical pathway activation is cleavage of components C4 and C2. Two products these cleavages, C4b and C2a, form the classical pathway C3 convertase. Proteolysis of C3 leads to a second convertase. The second convertase is the C5 convertase and is composed of C4b, C2a, and C3b. This convertase cleaves C5 to form C5b and C5a. 

During complement activation via the classical pathway, nine major complement components (designated C1-C9) become activated in a sequential process, the product of each activation step being an enzyme that catalyses a subsequent step in the cascade. The purpose of the cascade is twofold firstly, a sequential activation process decreases the possibility of nonspecific activation secondly, the initial response is amplified so that large numbers of complement molecules become activated in response to small amounts of initial signal. The order of events is as follows. 

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Arabinofuranosides were removed from PVa, which resulted in an increase in the activity this was in contrast to the findings of Kiyohara et al. [35] who foimd no change in activity after removal of similar units from A. acutiloba pectin. For this polymer it was suggested that the minimum requirement for complement activation via the classical pathway was j6-l,6-linked galactan attached to the rhamnogalacturonan backbone, which also appears to be an important part of the backbone for PVa. 

Kaplan A Mechanisms of activation of the classical pathway of complement by Hageman factor frag- 91 ment. J Chn Invest 1983 71 1450-1456. 

Few prospective studies of induced anaphylaxis have been performed in human subjects to imderstand the molecular basis of systemic anaphylaxis, because of the potentially rapid, Ufe-threatening outcome. Accordingly, various models of anaphylaxis have been estabUshed in laboratory animals, particularly mice, and extensively studied to clarify the underlying mechanisms. Such studies revealed that the classical pathway utilizing mast cells, IgE and histamine cannot explain all cases of anaphylaxis. 

Complement can be activated by two pathways, the classical pathway and the alternative pathway (Fig. 14.4). 

The first component of complement is Cl. This is a complex of three molecules designated Clq, Clr and Cls. The classical pathway is only initiated by an immune complex (antibody bound to antigen) when Clq binds to the Fc portion of the complexed antibody (IgM or IgG). The binding of Clq activates the Clr and Cls molecules associated with it to yield activated Cl which now cleaves C4 and then C2 (subunits of... 

The complement cascade may become activated via two pathways the classical pathway or the alternative pathway. 

The classical pathway can become activated by immune complexes, bacteria, viruses, and F-XIIa. Binding occurs to the complement C1 q, a part of complement factor 1 (Cl). This initiates a cascade of activations, first of Clr, Cls, then of C4. This C4 activates C2, after which C3 becomes activated. Activated C3 initiates a cascade of activations, which are in common with the alternative pathway and which end up in activated C5-9, a membrane attack complex that lyses the target. 

However, an alternative pathway that bypasses clathrin-mediated endocytosis and EEs appears to be available as well. This model of endocytosis known as kiss and run or its variant kiss and stay have attracted increasing interest in recent years [74] (Fig. 9-9B). Kiss and run has been directly demonstrated with dense-core granules in neuroendocrine cells [84, 85], and this model would explain some observations that are not readily accommodated by the classical pathway. The kiss and run model proposes that neurotransmitters are released by a transient fusion pore, rather than by a complete fusion with integration of the synaptic vesicle components into the plasma membrane. Synaptic membrane proteins never lose their association and the vesicle reforms when the pore closes. As a result, the empty vesicle can be refilled and reused without going through clathrin-mediated endocytosis and sorting in the EEs. 

Some crucial steps in the biology of CVD have demonstrated sensitivity to estrogen agonists. Some of these actions have shown to be mediated by the classical pathway of estrogen receptors (ERs), though in other cases the involved mechanisms seem more complex and require the consideration of alternative options (Mendelsohn 2002). The available evidence concentrates on actions on lipids or on direct actions on the vascular wall. 

IgA has a short half-life in serum (6 days) and comprises about 12-20% of the total serum immunoglobulins. However, because of its presence in bodily fluids, it is the most abundant immunoglobulin present in the body. It comprises three constant domains, and neutrophils, monocytes and some other immune cells possess receptors for IgA (FcaR). Neither of the two IgA subclasses, IgAi and IgA2, can fix complement via the classical pathway. Instead, these antibodies neutralise antigens at mucosal surfaces, in the absence of complement fixation (which would be pro-inflammatory), and the neutralised antigens are cleared. 

The complement system comprises twenty plasma proteins present in the blood and in most bodily fluids. They are normally present in an inactive form but become activated via two separate pathways the classical pathway, which requires antibody, and the alternative pathway, which does not. Once the initial components of complement are activated, a cascade reac-... 

Figure 1.14. Complement activation via the classical pathway. The sequential activation of complement following antibody deposition onto a surface is shown. C9 forms a pore in the membrane, eventually leading to cell death by osmotic lysis. See text for details.

IgG The major immunoglobulin in human serum. There are four subclasses of IgG IgGl, IgG2, IgG3 and IgG4, but this number varies in different species. All are able to cross the placenta, and the first three subclasses fix complement by the classical pathway. The molecular mass of human IgG is 150 kDa and the normal serum concentration in man is 16 mg ml-1. 

These treatments have been also applied to S/yAr. For example, for a neutral nucleophile, all the classical pathways identified at present are represented by the general reaction mechanism shown by Scheme 2. A concerted mechanism, indicated by the diagonal path in Scheme 2, had not been discussed until lately, but was observed, among other systems, in the hydrolysis of l-chloro-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene and 1-picrylimidazole. The study was then extended to other related substrates and structure-reactivity relationships could be obtained78. 

Complement A term originally used to refer to the heat-labile factor in serum that causes immune cytolysis, the lysis of antibody-coated cells, and now referring to the entire functionally related system comprising at least 20 distinct serum proteins that is the effector not only of immune cytolysis but also of other biologic functions. Complement activation occurs by two different sequences, the classic and alternative pathways. The proteins of the classic pathway are termed components of complement and are designated by the symbols... 

Figure 5.25 Complement cascade. The classical pathway requires antigen antibody (Ag Ab) interaction to activate Cl, the alternative pathway is antigen independent...

Activation of the Complement System by Antibody-Antigen Complexes The Classical Pathway R. R. Porter and K. B. M. Reid... 

The classical pathway may be activated immunologically by antigen-antibody complexes and aggregated immunoglobulins, and non-immunologically by a number of chemically diverse substances, including DNA, C-reactive protein. Staphylococcal protein A, trypsin-like enzymes and certain cellular membranes (Table III). 

Figure 1.1 The classic pathway for the conversion of cholesterol into the primary bile acids CA and CDCA, involving the 7 a-hydroxylase enzyme (also known as CYP7A1). Simplified from Dr John Chiang/ The 7 OH group is highlighted with the shaded circle. This group is cleaved to produce the secondary BAs DCA and LCA.

Figure 1.1 illustrates a condensed version of the classical pathway of bile-acid synthesis, a series of 12 enzymatic reactions that convert cholesterol, which is insoluble, into BAs, which are water soluble. The cholesterol is first converted to 7 alpha-hydroxy cholesterol, followed by the series of enzymatic transformations, eventually producing cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids (not all steps shown). The rate-limiting enzyme in this pathway is cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase (CYP 7A1), which originates from microsomal cytochrome P-450 enzymes, expressed only in the liver hepatocytes. 

The reactions that take place in the complement system can be initiated in several ways. During the early phase of infection, lipopoly-saccharides and other structures on the surface of the pathogens trigger the alternative pathway (right). If antibodies against the pathogens become available later, the antigen-antibody complexes formed activate the classic pathway (left). Acute-phase proteins (see p. 276) are also able to start the complement cascade lectin pathway, not shown). 

Factors Cl to C4 (for complement ) belong to the classic pathway, while factors B and D form the reactive components of the alternative pathway. Factors C5 to C9 are responsible for membrane attack. Other components not shown here regulate the system. 

The classic pathway is triggered by the formation of factor Cl at IgG or IgM on the surface of microorganisms (left). Cl is an 18-part molecular complex with three different components (Clq, Clr, and Cls). Clq is shaped like a bunch of tulips, the flowers of which bind to the Fc region of antibodies (left). This activates Clr, a serine proteinase that initiates the cascade of the classic pathway. First, C4 is proteolytically activated into C4b, which in turn cleaves C2 into C2a and C2b. C4B and C2a together form C3 convertase [1], which finally catalyzes the cleavage of C3 into C3a and C3b. Small amounts of C3b also arise from non-enzymatic hydrolysis of C3. 

Pyridine and its derivatives are technically-important fine chemicals. Their isolation from coal tar is decreasing, whereas their manufacture by synthetic methods has increased rapidly. The classical pathways to pyridine have been discussed by Abramovitch (74HC14-1-4). Many of them rely on the reaction of aldehydes or ketones with ammonia in the vapor phase. However, the condensation processes used suffer from unsatisfactory selectivity. Using soluble organocobalt catalysts of the type [YCoL] allows pyridine and a wide range of 2-substituted derivatives to be prepared selectively and in one step from acetylene and the appropriate cyano compound [Eq.(l)]. 

Figure 3. Hypothetical alternative enzyme path between 3-dehydroquinate and shikimate. A reversed order of the dehydratase and dehydrogenase steps of the classical pathway (top) would produce the quinate route (bottom).

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