 INTRODUCTION TO COMPLEMENT SYSTEM:

COMPLEMENT SYSTEM IS ALSO KNOWN AS COMPLEMENT

CASCADE.IT IS A PART OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM THAT ENHANCE
(COMPLEMENTS)THE ABILITY OF ANTIBODIES AND PHAGOCYTIC CELLS
TO CLEAR MICROBES AND DAMAGED FROM AN ORGANISM,PROMOTE
INFLAMMATION,AND ATTACK THE PATHOGEN’S CELL
MEMBRANE.
THE COMPLEMENT SYSTEM WAS DISCOVERED IN
1896 BY BORDET AS A HEAT-LABILE COMPONENT OF SERUM.IT WAS SO
NAMED FOR ITS ABILITY TO ‘COMPLEMENT’THE ANTIBACTERIAL
PROPERTIES OF ANTIBODY IN THE HEAT-STABLE FRACTION OF SERUM.
THE COMPLEMENT SYSTEM CONSIST OF MORE THAN 50
SERUM PROTEINS THAT CAN BE ACTIVATE3D BY A VARIETY OF
IMMUNOLOGICAL STIMULI OUT OF 50 SERUM PROTEINS 9 PROTEINS
ARE MOST IMPORTANT.
  NOMENCLATURE USED FOR COMPLEMENT SYSTEM:

THE IMPOTANT 9 PROTEINS ARE DESIGNATED BY

LETTER C FOLLOWED BY A NUMBER. THE COMPONENTS WERE
NUMBERED IN THE ORDER OF THEIR DISCOVERY RATHER THAN THE
SEQUENCE OF REACTION,WHICH IS C1,C23,C,C4,C5,C6,C7,C8 AND C9.
THESE ARE THE SOLUBLE PROTEINS THAT CIRCULATES IN THE BLOOD.
THEY ARE SYNTHESIZED BY LIVER HEPATOCIST.
EACH COMPLEMENT PROTEINS ARE MADE UP OF TWO SUB
UNITS, THE SMALLER ONE REGULATORY UNIT DESIGNATED BY ‘a’ AND
THE LARGER PART IS CATALYTIC UNIT DESIGNATED BY ‘b’. FOR EXAMPLE:
C1a and C1b.
THE REGULATORY(UNIT a) UNIT RECEIVES THE SIGNALS AND
THEN ACTIVATES THE CATALYTIC UNIT( UNIT b). AFTER ACTIVATION OF
CATALYTIC UNIT BINDS WITH THE SURFACE OF ANTIGEN AND THE
REGULATORY UNITS ARE RELEASED IN THE BLOOD.
 ACTIVATION OF THE COMPLEMENT SYSTEM:

COMPLEMENT SYSTEM CAN BE ACTIVATED IN

THREE WAYS:
 THE CLASSICAL COMPLEMENT PATHWAY
 THE LECTIN PATHWAY
 THE ALTERNATIVE COMPLEMENT PATHWAY.
ALL OF WHICH END IN SAME RESULT.THE
PURPOSE OF ALL THREE PATHWAYS IS TO CREATE A
LARGE NUMBER OF C3a AND C3b MOLECULES BY
FORMING A C3 CONVERTASE.
 DIAGRAM OF COMPLEMENT SYSTEM:
 THE CLASSICAL COMPLEMENT PATHWAYS:

THIS PATHWAY INVOLVE THE CO-ORDINATED ACTIVITY OF C1,C2,C3,C4,C5,C6,C7,C8 AND C9

PROTEINS.THIS PATHWAY IS USUALLY ACTIVATED BY THE BINDING OF AN ANTIBODY WITH AN
ANTIGEN. THE ANTIGEN-ANTIBODY INTERACTION LEADS TO THE RELEASE OF CYTOKINE
PROTEINS FROM DAMAGED CELLS OR INFECTED CELL WHICH ACTIVATE FIRST COMPLEMENT
PROTEIN C1. C1 PROTEIN SPLIT INTO TWO SUBUNITS, THE REGULATORY UNIT RECEIVED THE
SIGNAL AND RELEASE AND THE CATALYTIC UNIT RECOGNIZED AND BIND WITH THE SURFACE
OF ANTIGEN.C2b SUBUNIT IS THEN CLIEF C2 AND C4 PROTEINS WHICH RELEASE ITS
REGULATORY SUBUNIT AND THE CATALYTIC SUBUNIT IS GOING TO BIND WITH THE SURFACE
OF ANTIGEN. IT LEADS TO THE FORMATION OF A COMPLEX AG-AB-C1b-C2b-C4b.THESE
BINDING OF PROTEIN COMPLEXES IS GOING TO ACTIVATE C3 PROTEIN AND CLIEF IT INTO C3a
AND C3b COMBINED WITH THE AG-AB-C1b-C2b-C4b AND C3a IS RELEASE IN THE BLOOD.AG-
AB-C1b-C2b-C4b-C3b SPLITS C5 INTO C5a AND C5b IN WHICH C5b SUBUNIT IS BIND WITH THIS
COMPLEX.THIS COMPLEMENT PROTEIN ACTIVATED PROCESS CLEAVES C6,C7,C8 AND C9
PROTEINS IN SIMILAR MANNER WHICH IS GOING TO BIND WITH SURFACE OF AG AND FORM
THE FINAL COMPLEX PROTEIN AG-AB-C1b-C2b-C4b-C3b-C5b-C6b-C7b-C8b-C9b.THIS FINAL
SATAGE OF PATHWAY FORM A COMPLEX CALLED MEMBRANE ATTACK COMPLEX(MAC)WHICH
ABLE TO CREATE PORE ON THE SURFACE OF ANTIGEN. THIS HELPS MACROPHAGE AND
PHAGOCYTIC TO PERFORM PHAGOCYTOSIS.
  THE LECTIN PATHWAY:
THEPROTEIN WHICH ACT AS ENZYMES
NAMELY MASP-1 AND MASP-2(MBL ASSOCIATED SERINE
PROTEASE). THIS PATHWAY BEGINS WITH ANTIGEN LECTIN
PATHWAY INVOLVES TO PLASMA AND ANTIBODY
INTERACTION. THIS INTERACTION EVENTUALLY LEADS TO THE
ACTIVATION OF 2 ENZYMES NAMELY MASP-1 AND MASP-2.
THEIR ACTIVATION HELPS TO BIND WITH THE ANTIGEN
SURFACE.THIS BINDINGS RECRUIT C4 AND C2 COMPLEX
PROTEIN WHICH SPLITS THEM INTO C4a,C4b,C2a AND C2b.THE
REGULATORY SUB UNITS C4a AND C2a ARE RELEASED AFTER
ACTIVATION AND THE CATALYTIC SUB UNITS (C4b AND C2b) IS
GOING TO BIND TO THE SURFACE OF ANTIGEN.THESE
COMPLEX AG-AB-MASP1/2-C4b-C2b IS GOING TO CLEIFE C3
INTO C3a AND C3b.C3a SUBUNITS IS RELEASE IN THE BLOOD
AND C3b IS GOING TO BIND TO THIS COMPLEX.
 THE ALTERNATIVE COMPLEMENT PATHWAY:
THE ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY INVOLVES 6 COMPLEMENT PROTEIN
C3,C5,C6,C7,C8,C9; C1,C2&C4 DON’T PARTICIPATE IN THIS PATHWAY INSTEAD FACTOR
TO WHICH IS PLASMA PROTEIN IS GOING TO TAKE PART IN COMPLEMENT
ACTIVATION.THIS PATHWAY IS USUALLY ACTIVATED BY THE FUNCTION OF ANTIGEN
ANTIBODY COMPLEX.THIS BINDING IS OCCUR ON THE SURFACE OF PATHOGEN.THIS
BINDING ACTIVATED PLASMA PROTEIN FACTOR B AND SPLIT INTO 2 SUBUNIT-
FACTOR Ba OF FACTOR Bb.THIS ACTIVATION LEADS TO RELEASE THE REGULATORY
SUBUNIT FACTOR Bb AND THE CATALYTIC SUBUNIT FACTOR Bb IS GOING TO BIND TO
THE SURFACE OF ANTIGEN. THIS CATALYTIC UNIT Bb IS GOING TO ACTIVATE
COMPLEMENT PROTEIN C3.C3 SPLIT INTO C3a AND C3b IN WHICH C3b IS GOING TO
BIND WITH A COMPLEX ANTIGEN ANTIBODY FACTOR Bb AND FORM C3b,C5 SPLITS
INTO C5a AND C5b IN WHICH C5b SUBUNIT IS BIND WITH THIS COMPLEX. THIS
COMPLEMENT PROTEIN ACTIVATED PROCESS CLASSES C6,C7,C8 AND C9 PROTEINS IN
A SIMILAR MANNER WHICH IS GOING TO BIND WITH SURFACE OF ANTIGEN AND
FORM THE FINAL COMPLEX PROTEIN.AG-AB-FACTORBb-C3b-C5b-C6b-C7b-C8b-
C9b.THIS FINAL STAGE OF PATHWAY FORM COMPLEX CALLED MEMBRANE ATTACK
COMPLEX(MAC)WHICH ABLE CREATE PORE ON THE SURFACE OF ANTIGEN.THIS
HELPS MACROPHAGE AND PHAGOCYTE TO PERFORM PHAGOCYTOSIS.
CONCLUSION:
THE COMPLEMENT SYSTEM IS
COMPOSED OF NETWORK OF PROTEINS THAT
PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN INNATE AND
ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY THAT RECOGNIZE AND
KILLS THE PATHOGENS AND REMOVES DEATH
CELLS.