title: Terminal complexes of the complement system: new structural insights and their relevance to function.
abstract: Complement is a key component of innate immunity in health and a powerful driver of inflammation and tissue injury in disease. The biological and pathological effects of complement activation are mediated by activation products. These come in two flavors: (i) proteolytic fragments of complement proteins (C3, C4, C5) generated during activation that bind specific receptors on target cells to mediate effects; (ii) the multimolecular membrane attack complex generated from the five terminal complement proteins that directly binds to and penetrates target cell membranes. Several recent publications have described structural insights that have changed perceptions of the nature of this membrane attack complex. This review will describe these recent advances in understanding of the structure of the membrane attack complex and its by-product the fluid-phase terminal complement complex and relate these new structural insights to functional consequences and cell responses to complement membrane attack.
authors: Systems Immunity Research Institute, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. morganbp@cardiff.ac.uk.
authors: Bryan Paul
authors: BP
authors: Morgan
authors: Systems Immunity Research Institute, Division of Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Walters
authors: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK.
authors: Marina
authors: M
authors: Serna
authors: Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College, London, UK.
authors: Doryen
authors: D
authors: Bubeck
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D003167:Complement Activation; D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex / Q000378:metabolism*; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship
chemical_list: D015938:Complement Membrane Attack Complex; D003165:Complement System Proteins
keywords: cell activation; complement; membrane attack complex; pore; recovery; structure