Skip to main content
PMC home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1978 Jan;34(1):131–136.

The requirement of specific antibody for the killing of E. coli by the alternate complement pathway in bovine serum.

A W Hill, A L Shears, K G Hibbitt
PMCID: PMC1457330  PMID: 75177

Abstract

Experiments using the selective divalent cation chelator, ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) showed that the alternate complement pathway was involved in the bactericidal action of bovine serum on two strains of E. coli. The bactericidal system was shown, in experiments involving EGTA and epsilon-amino caproic acid, to be independent of Ca++ and the C1 unit of complement. The fixation of the complement components C3-C9 by endotoxin does not require a functional classical pathway ((C1, C4 and C2). In the case of one coliform strain (W1) however, there was an almost total dependence on a factor absorbable at 0 degrees with homologous bacteria, and which appeared to be a natural antibody. These results suggest that in certain circumstances in the cow, gamma globulins may be directly involved in the activation of the alternate complement pathway.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bryan C. S. Sensitization of E. coli to the serum bactericidal system and to lysozyme by ethyleneglycoltetraacetic acid. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1974 Apr;145(4):1431–1433. doi: 10.3181/00379727-145-38028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Des Prez R. M., Bryan C. S., Hawiger J., Colley D. G. Function of the classical and alternate pathways of human complement in serum treated with ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid and MgCl2-ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid. Infect Immun. 1975 Jun;11(6):1235–1243. doi: 10.1128/iai.11.6.1235-1243.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Fine D. P. Activation of the classic and alternate complement pathways by endotoxin. J Immunol. 1974 Feb;112(2):763–769. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Fine D. P., Marney S. R., Jr, Colley D. G., Sergent J. S., Des Prez R. M. C3 shunt activation in human serum chelated with EGTA. J Immunol. 1972 Oct;109(4):807–809. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Frank M. M., May J. E., Kane M. A. Contributions of the classical and alternate complement pathways to the biological effects of endotoxin. J Infect Dis. 1973 Jul;128(Suppl):176–181. doi: 10.1093/infdis/128.supplement_1.s176. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Götze O., Müller-Eberhard H. J. The role of properdin in the alternate pathway of complement activation. J Exp Med. 1974 Jan 1;139(1):44–57. doi: 10.1084/jem.139.1.44. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hill A. W., Shears A. L., Hibbitt K. G. Increased antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli in bovine serum after the induction of endotoxin tolerance. Infect Immun. 1976 Jul;14(1):257–265. doi: 10.1128/iai.14.1.257-265.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. PILLEMER L., BLUM L., LEPOW I. H., ROSS O. A., TODD E. W., WARDLAW A. C. The properdin system and immunity. I. Demonstration and isolation of a new serum protein, properdin, and its role in immune phenomena. Science. 1954 Aug 20;120(3112):279–285. doi: 10.1126/science.120.3112.279. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Phillips J. K., Snyderman R., Mergenhagen S. E. Activation of complement by endotoxin: a role for 2 globulin, C1, C4 and C2 in the consumption of terminal complement components by endotoxin-coated erythrocytes. J Immunol. 1972 Aug;109(2):334–341. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Snyderman R., Gewurz H., Mergenhagen S. E., Jensen J. Effect of C4 depletion on the utilization of the terminal components of guinea-pig complement by endotoxin. Nat New Biol. 1971 Jun 2;231(22):152–154. doi: 10.1038/newbio231152a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Snyderman R., Pike M. C. Interaction of complex polysaccharides with the complement system: effect of calcium depletion on terminal component consumption. Infect Immun. 1975 Feb;11(2):273–279. doi: 10.1128/iai.11.2.273-279.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Soter N. A., Austen K. F., Gigli I. Inhibition by epsilon-aminocaproic acid of the activation of the first component of the complement system. J Immunol. 1975 Mar;114(3):928–932. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES