Innate immunity: Complement/phagocytosis

8 important questions on Innate immunity: Complement/phagocytosis

What are the distinct phase in complement system?

  1. Pattern-recognition trigger
  2. protease cascade amplification/C3 convertase
    • zymogens (inactieve pro-enzymes)becomes active after cleavage, which activates a cascade
  3. Inflammation, phagocytosis, membrane attack

What is the role properdin?

It stabilizes the C3bBb complex

Explain negative regulatory proteins on health cells

On host cells, complement-regulatory proteins CR1, DAF and H cause a displacement go Bb from C3b
  • C3b bound to these proteins are cleaved by factor I to yield inactive C3b (iC3b)
  • no activation of complement system on host cells surfaces
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How is inflammation initiated through complement proteins?

C5a, C3a, C4A acts on blood vessel to increase vascular permeability and cel-adhesion molecules
  1. increased permeability allows increased fluid leakage and extravasation of Ig and complement molecules
  2. migration of macropgahen, neutrophils,. En lymphocytes


C5a en C3a also active mast cells, there are anaphylatotoxins as they produce schocklike syndrome.

How is membrane-attack complex formed?

  1. C5b binds to C6 and C7, via C7 the complex binds to membrane
  2. C8 binds to complex and inserts into membrane
  3. C9 molecules binds and polymerize  to form pore in membrane

How is complement regulated to prevent attack on host cells?

  1. C1INH dissociated C1r and C1s from the active C1 complex
  2. DAF, C4BP, CR1 displace C2a from the C4b2a complex. C4b is cleaved by factor I
  3. CR1 and h displace C3b, which is cleaved by I
  4. CD59 prevent binding CD9

Explain phagocytosis, endocytosis, macroinocytosis

Phagocytosis - The pathogen is surrounded by large membrane enclosed endocytic vesicle called phagosome, an then lysosome fuse -> phagolysosome
  • produce superoxide radicals, nitric oxide radicals


Receptor-mediated endocytosis - extracellulair martiaal is taken up by endosomal compartments

Macropinocytosis - nonspecific uptake of extracellular fluids

What are the PRRs that stimulate phagocytosis?

Dectin-1 - glucans in yeast
mannose receptor
scavenger receptor
complement receptor

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