Effect of Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom and its major toxin, TsTX-I, on the complement system in vivo

Toxicon ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Trinca Bertazzi ◽  
Ana Isabel de Assis-Pandochi ◽  
Ana Elisa Caleiro Seixas Azzolini ◽  
Vinicius Luis Talhaferro ◽  
Marcio Lazzarini ◽  
...  
2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1077-1084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Trinca Bertazzi ◽  
Ana Isabel de Assis-Pandochi ◽  
Vinicius Luis Talhaferro ◽  
Ana Elisa Caleiro Seixas Azzolini ◽  
Luciana Simon Pereira Crott ◽  
...  

Gene Therapy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna K. Dreismann ◽  
Michelle E. McClements ◽  
Alun R. Barnard ◽  
Elise Orhan ◽  
Jane P. Hughes ◽  
...  

AbstractDry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterised by loss of central vision and currently has no approved medical treatment. Dysregulation of the complement system is thought to play an important role in disease pathology and supplementation of Complement Factor I (CFI), a key regulator of the complement system, has the potential to provide a treatment option for AMD. In this study, we demonstrate the generation of AAV constructs carrying the human CFI sequence and expression of CFI in cell lines and in the retina of C57BL/6 J mice. Four codon optimised constructs were compared to the most common human CFI sequence. All constructs expressed CFI protein; however, most codon optimised sequences resulted in significantly reduced CFI secretion compared to the non-optimised CFI sequence. In vivo expression analysis showed that CFI was predominantly expressed in the RPE and photoreceptors. Secreted protein in vitreous humour was demonstrated to be functionally active. The findings presented here have led to the formulation of an AAV-vectored gene therapy product currently being tested in a first-in-human clinical trial in subjects with geographic atrophy secondary to dry AMD (NCT03846193).


2018 ◽  
Vol 475 (21) ◽  
pp. 3311-3314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Puran Singh Sijwali

The evasion of host immune defense is critical for pathogens to invade, establish infection and perpetuate in the host. The complement system is one of the first lines of innate immune defense in humans that destroys pathogens in the blood circulation. Activation of the complement system through direct encounter with pathogens or some other agents leads to osmolysis of pathogens, clearance of soluble immune complexes and recruitment of lymphocytes at the site of activation. Although malaria parasites are not exposed to the complement system owing to their intracellular development for most part of their life cycle in the human host, the extracellular stages must face the complement system of human or mosquito or both. In a recent issue of the Biochemical Journal, Sharma et al. reported that Plasmodiumfalciparum LCCL domain-containing protein 1 (PfCCp1) inhibited activation of the classical complement pathway and down-regulated effector responses of dendritic cells, which implicate PfCCp1 and related proteins in immunomodulation of the host that likely benefits the parasite. PfCCp1 belongs to a multi-domain protein family that exists as multimeric protein complexes. It needs to be investigated whether PfCCp1 or its multimeric protein complexes have an immunomodulatory effect in vivo and on the mosquito complement system


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e003163
Author(s):  
Mitchell Evers ◽  
Marjolein Stip ◽  
Kaylee Keller ◽  
Hanneke Willemen ◽  
Maaike Nederend ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe addition of monoclonal antibody therapy against GD2 to the treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma led to improved responses in patients. Nevertheless, administration of GD2 antibodies against neuroblastoma is associated with therapy-limiting neuropathic pain. This severe pain is evoked at least partially through complement activation on GD2-expressing sensory neurons.MethodsTo reduce pain while maintaining antitumor activity, we have reformatted the approved GD2 antibody ch14.18 into the IgA1 isotype. This novel reformatted IgA is unable to activate the complement system but efficiently activates leukocytes through the FcαRI (CD89).ResultsIgA GD2 did not activate the complement system in vitro nor induced pain in mice. Importantly, neutrophil-mediated killing of neuroblastoma cells is enhanced with IgA in comparison to IgG, resulting in efficient tumoricidal capacity of the antibody in vitro and in vivo.ConclusionsOur results indicate that employing IgA GD2 as a novel isotype has two major benefits: it halts antibody-induced excruciating pain and improves neutrophil-mediated lysis of neuroblastoma. Thus, we postulate that patients with high-risk neuroblastoma would strongly benefit from IgA GD2 therapy.


Author(s):  
Janos Szebeni ◽  
Lajos Baranyi ◽  
Sandor Savay ◽  
Janos Milosevits ◽  
Michael Bodo ◽  
...  

Isolated genetic deficiencies of individual components of the complement system have been described in man for all the components of the classical pathway and the membrane attack complex as well as for Factor I, Factor H and properdin. It is only for Factor B and Factor D of the alternative pathway that homozygous deficiency states are not so far known. Complement deficiency states provide the most direct way of looking at the role of the complement system in vivo and emphasize the importance of complement in resistance to bacterial infection and in particular to infection with Neisseria . This association is not unexpected since in vitro studies have shown complement to be an efficient enhancer of phagocytosis and inflammation. The particularly frequent occurrence of neisserial infection may be ascribed to the ability of these organisms to survive in phagocytic cells so that the plasma cytolytic activity provided by complement is needed to kill them. On the other hand the strong association between complement deficiencies and immune-complex diseases - especially systemic lupus erythematosus — was unexpected and seems paradoxical in view of the large part played by complement in the pathogenesis of immune complex mediated tissue damage. The paradox can be explained in part by the necessity for an intact complement system in the solubilization and the proper handling of immune complexes. It is also likely that complement deficiency can allow the persistence of low virulence organisms that produce disease solely by an immune complex mechanism. Recently described deficiencies of complement receptors and their effects in vivo are described.


Complement is the essential effector mechanism in humoral immunity to infection. Combination of antibody with antigen causes cross-linking, leading to precipitation of soluble antigens and agglutination of particular antigens, but no more. Unless complement is also present, agglutinated microorganisms can, in appropriate media in vitro grow out and form as lethal a culture as if not reacted with antibody. That this is also true in vivo is apparent from experience with patients with inherited deficiencies in complement components. The pattern is complex because of the presence of two pathways of activation, but in the rare cases of deficiency of the third component, C3, which is central to both pathways, the individuals are susceptible to repeated bacterial infections similar to aggammaglobulinaemics who are unable to synthesize antibodies. Both antibodies and complement are essential for effective humoral immunity.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Delafontaine ◽  
Isadora Maria Villas-Boas ◽  
Giselle Pidde ◽  
Carmen W. van den Berg ◽  
Laurence Mathieu ◽  
...  

Bothrops lanceolatussnake venom causes systemic thrombotic syndrome but also local inflammation involving extensive oedema, pain, and haemorrhage. Systemic thrombotic syndrome may lead to fatal pulmonary embolism and myocardial and cerebral infarction. Here, we investigated the ability ofB. lanceolatusvenom to activate the Complement system (C) in order to improve the understanding of venom-induced local inflammation. Data presented show thatB. lanceolatusvenom is able to activate all C-pathways. In human serum, the venom strongly induced the generation of anaphylatoxins, such as C5a and C4a, and the Terminal Complement complex. The venom also induced cleavage of purified human components C3, C4, and C5, with the production of biologically active C5a. Furthermore, the venom enzymatically inactivated the soluble C-regulator and the C1-inhibitor (C1-INH), and significantly increased the expression of bound C-regulators, such as MCP and CD59, on the endothelial cell membrane. Our observations thatB. lanceolatusvenom activates the three Complement activation pathways, resulting in anaphylatoxins generation, may suggest that this could play an important role in local inflammatory reaction and systemic thrombosis caused by the venom. Inactivation of C1-INH, which is also an important inhibitor of several coagulation proteins, may also contribute to inflammation and thrombosis. Thus, furtherin vivostudies may support the idea that therapeutic management of systemicB. lanceolatusenvenomation could include the use of Complement inhibitors as adjunct therapy.


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