Experimental conditions required for the expression of maximum C5 activation upon limited trypsin hydrolysis were determined to be 0.008 mol of trypsin/mol C5 in a reaction mixture containing 1 mg C5/ml veronal-buffered saline incubated at 37 degrees C for 30 min. Employing these optimal incubation conditions, the primary or preferred site of trypsin hydrolysis of the C5 alpha-chain resulted in the production of C5 alpha 1 (molecular weight, 90,000) and C5 alpha 5 (molecular weight, 25,000) fragments that remained disulfide bonded to the modified C5 molecule (C5'try). Detailed structural-functional analyses clearly indicated the trypsin-mediated conversion of the C5 alpha-chain to C5 alpha 1 and C5 alpha 5 was responsible for the acquisition of neutrophil lysosomal enzyme-releasing and chemotactic activities. Gel filtration column chromatography under physiological ionic strength, pH 7.4, or in the presence of 0.2% SDS further demonstrated that at least 90% of the total recoverable C5a-like biological activity was mediated by the 210,000 molecular weight forms of trypsin-modified C5. Other physiologically relevant, noncomplement protease enzymes (alpha-thrombin, plasmin, and elastase) also activated C5 to express C5a-like reactivities. Analysis of alpha-thrombin-induced, C5 alpha-chain cleavage events by SDS-polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis indicated that the mechanism of alpha-thrombin-activation of C5 is similar to that described for trypsin. Reconciliation of this novel mechanism of C5 activation by trypsin with previously published results, and a discussion of the biological significance of noncomplement enzyme-mediated activation of C5 as it might relate to inflammatory processes in vivo, was presented.
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June 01 1983
Expression of C5a-like biological activities by the fifth component of human complement (C5) upon limited digestion with noncomplement enzymes without release of polypeptide fragments.
R A Wetsel
W P Kolb
Online ISSN: 1540-9538
Print ISSN: 0022-1007
J Exp Med (1983) 157 (6): 2029–2048.
Citation
R A Wetsel, W P Kolb; Expression of C5a-like biological activities by the fifth component of human complement (C5) upon limited digestion with noncomplement enzymes without release of polypeptide fragments.. J Exp Med 1 June 1983; 157 (6): 2029–2048. doi: https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.157.6.2029
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