title: Complement in BuB/BnJ mice revisited: serum C3 levels and complement opsonic activity are not elevated.
abstract: With the exception of a few strains such as BuB/BnJ, complement activity in most inbred strains of mice is remarkably similar. The BuB/BnJ strain reportedly has high levels of complement activity and elevated serum levels of C3 and other complement proteins. However, we observed that BuB/BnJ mice have serum C3 levels comparable to those seen in C57BL/6, Balb/c and several other strains of inbred mice. More importantly, using bacteria as a substrate for activation and deposition of complement as a direct biological assay to assess serum complement opsonic activity, we found that BuB/BnJ mice do not have elevated complement activity compared to other inbred mouse strains. In contrast hemolytic assays indicate BuB/BnJ sera to be most active. These results indicate that accepted views regarding mouse serum complement activity need to be re-examined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, 845 19th St. S. BBRB/842, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.
authors.forename: Inga
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Osmers
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Szalai
authors.forename: Andrea J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Tenner
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Barnum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000032:analysis*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000276:immunology*; D009895:Opsonin Proteins / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003176:Complement C3; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D003165:Complement System Proteins