1. A small fragment of factor B as a potential inhibitor of complement alternative pathway activity.
- Author
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Sultan EY, Rizk DE, Kenawy HI, and Hassan R
- Subjects
- Animals, Complement Factor B genetics, Erythrocytes, Escherichia coli genetics, Hemolysis, Humans, Liver immunology, Rabbits, Recombinant Proteins immunology, Complement C3b immunology, Complement Factor B immunology, Complement Pathway, Alternative
- Abstract
Background: The complement system is a key player in innate immunity and a modulator of the adaptive immune system. Among the three pathways of complement, the alternative pathway (AP) accounts for most of the complement activation. Factor B (FB) is a major protease of the AP, making it a promising target to inhibit the AP activity in conditions of uncontrolled complement activation., Methods: Based on the data obtained from sequence analysis and conformational changes associated with FB, we expressed and purified a recombinant FB fragment (FBfr). We tested the inhibitory activity of the protein against the AP by in vitro assays., Results: FBfr protein was proven to inhibit the complement AP activity when tested by C3b deposition assay and rabbit erythrocyte hemolytic assay., Conclusion: Our recombinant FBfr was able to compete with the native human FB, which allowed it to inhibit the AP activity. This novel compound is a good candidate for further characterization and testing to be used in complement diagnostic tests and as a drug lead in the field of complement therapeutics., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2021
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