Studies of monkey complement: measurement of cynomolgus monkey CH50, ACH50, C4, C2 and C3.
BACKGROUND
The cynomolgus monkey is commonly used as the recipient in transplantation experiments. However, study of the complement system of cynomolgus monkeys is lacking. In the present study, the complement system of cynomolgus monkeys was compared with that of humans, by checking hemolytic titers.


METHODS
Hemolytic titers of complement from cynomolgus monkeys were calculated using the same methods as are used in humans. The complement regulatory function of human decay accelerating factor (DAF, CD55) in cynomolgus monkey serum was next studied using erythrocytes from human DAF-transgenic pigs.


RESULTS
The results indicated relatively high values, except for C4: CH50: 211.19 +/- 42.78 units/ml, ACH50: 51.47 +/- 12.43 units/ml, C4: 30 170 +/- 14 300 SFU/ml C2: 33831 +/- 7442 SFU/ml and C3: 93612 +/- 30131 SFU/ml. Western blot experiments using antibodies for human complement components revealed similarities between the cynomolgus monkey and human complement systems. Human DAF inhibited pig erythrocyte lysis from approximately 60-70% to 17% in both human and cynomolgus monkey sera, indicating an almost identical complement regulatory function.


CONCLUSIONS
The hemolytic titer of cynomolgus monkeys was greater than the titer measured in human serum. However, human DAF showed nearly the same complement regulatory function in both human and cynomolgus monkey sera.
Xu
Hengjie
H
Division of Organ Transplantation, Department of Molecular Therapeutics, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
Kitano
Etsuko
E
Sato
Yu
Y
Kobayashi
Chizuko
C
Firdawes
Sabere
S
Kitamura
Hajime
H
Fukuzawa
Masahiro
M
Miyagawa
Shuji
S
D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D018958:CD55 Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003167:Complement Activation; D003175:Complement C2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D003176:Complement C3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D003181:Complement C4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D015941:Complement Hemolytic Activity Assay; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008252:Macaca fascicularis / Q000276:immunology*; D013552:Swine
D018958:CD55 Antigens; D003175:Complement C2; D003176:Complement C3; D003181:Complement C4