title: The structural events associated with the attachment of complement components to cell membranes in reactive lysis.
abstract: Electron microscopic study of the events occurring at the cell membrane during reactive lysis by complement, showed that a foliaceous particle was formed at the C5b-7 stage, that enlarged to a particle with a variable number of arms at the C5b-8 stage. Up to this point, no typical complement lesions were found. At the C5b-9 stages, the particles were completely converted to typical complement lesions, i.e. hollow cylinders projecting from the cell membrane and partly penetrating it. C5b-9 complexes assembled in the fluid phase did not show the typical structure of the lesions, but were amorphous masses of fibres.
mesh_terms: D003182:Complement C5 / Q000276:immunology; D003183:Complement C6 / Q000276:immunology; D003184:Complement C7 / Q000276:immunology; D003185:Complement C8 / Q000276:immunology; D003186:Complement C9 / Q000276:immunology; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron
chemical_list: D003182:Complement C5; D003183:Complement C6; D003184:Complement C7; D003185:Complement C8; D003186:Complement C9; D003165:Complement System Proteins