Skip to main content
PMC home page
Clinical and Experimental Immunology logoLink to Clinical and Experimental Immunology
. 1970 Aug;7(2):211–220.

Activation and inhibition of IgG mediated complement fixation by staphylococcal protein A

G Kronvall, H Gewurz
PMCID: PMC1712835  PMID: 5529399

Abstract

Staphylococcal protein A, when added to fresh human, guinea-pig, dog or pig serum, caused a marked depletion of complement. This complement consumption, further studied in the human system, was noted only in γglobulin excess. The consumption of individual complement components indicated an activation mechanism similar to the one induced by aggregated human γ-globulin; i.e. a marked depletion of early-acting components. The activation was time- and temperature-dependent. Almost no complement activation was seen using fresh serum from a patient with agammaglobulinaemia. Inhibition of complement activation was noted when protein A was added at equivalence of precipitation or in excess. The dual effect of protein A might be explained by (I) its ability to arrange γ-globulin molecules in a way initiating the complement cascade and (II) inhibition of Fc mediated complement activation by steric hindrance when added in excess. Possible roles of protein A in the pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections are discussed.

Full text

PDF
211

Selected References

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

  1. AMIRAIAN K., LEIKHIM E. J. Interaction of fragment III of rabbit gamma globulin and guinea pig complement. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1961 Nov;108:454–457. doi: 10.3181/00379727-108-26963. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Borsos T., Rapp H. J. Complement fixation on cell surfaces by 19S and 7S antibodies. Science. 1965 Oct 22;150(3695):505–506. doi: 10.1126/science.150.3695.505. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cochrane C. G. The Arthus phenomenon--a mechanism of tissue damage. Arthritis Rheum. 1967 Aug;10(4):392–396. doi: 10.1002/art.1780100410. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cohen S. The requirement for the association of two adjacent rabbit gamma-G-antibody molecules in the fixation of complement by immune complexes. J Immunol. 1968 Feb;100(2):407–413. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dossett J. H., Kronvall G., Williams R. C., Jr, Quie P. G. Antiphagocytic effects of staphylococcal protein A. J Immunol. 1969 Dec;103(6):1405–1410. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Forsgren A. Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. VI. Reaction with subunits from guinea pig gamma-1- and gamma-2-globulin. J Immunol. 1968 May;100(5):927–930. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Forsgren A., Sjöquist J. "Protein A" from S. aureus. I. Pseudo-immune reaction with human gamma-globulin. J Immunol. 1966 Dec;97(6):822–827. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Gewurz H., Shin H. S., Mergenhagen S. E. Interactions of the complement system with endotoxic lipopolysaccharide: consumption of each of the six terminal complement components. J Exp Med. 1968 Nov 1;128(5):1049–1057. doi: 10.1084/jem.128.5.1049. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gustafson G. T., Sjöquist J., Stålenheim G. "Protein A" from Staphylococcus aureus. II. Arthus-like reaction produced in rabbits by interaction of protein A and human gamma-globulin. J Immunol. 1967 Jun;98(6):1178–1181. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ishizaka T., Ishizaka K., Salmon S., Fudenberg H. Biologic activities of aggregated gamma-globulin. 8. Aggregated immunoglobulins of different classes. J Immunol. 1967 Jul;99(1):82–91. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kohler P. F., Müller-Eberhard H. J. Complement-immunoglobulin relation: deficiency of C'1q associated with impaired immunoglobulin G synthesis. Science. 1969 Jan 31;163(3866):474–475. doi: 10.1126/science.163.3866.474. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kronvall G., Quie P. G., Williams R. C., Jr Quantitation of staphylococcal protein A: Determination of equilibrium constant and number of protein A residues on bacteria. J Immunol. 1970 Feb;104(2):273–278. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kronvall G., Seal U. S., Finstad J., Williams R. C., Jr Phylogenetic insight into evolution of mammalian Fc fragment of gamma G globulin using staphylococcal protein A. J Immunol. 1970 Jan;104(1):140–147. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kronvall G., Williams R. C., Jr Differences in anti-protein A activity among IgG subgroups. J Immunol. 1969 Oct;103(4):828–833. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. LoBuglio A. F., Cotran R. S., Jandl J. H. Red cells coated with immunoglobulin G: binding and sphering by mononuclear cells in man. Science. 1967 Dec 22;158(3808):1582–1585. doi: 10.1126/science.158.3808.1582. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Löfkvist T. Preparations of purified antigens from Staphylococcus aureus in biologic and serologic experiments. The effects of fractions A-1, A-2, A-3, B and C on dermal reactivity of the rabbit to epinephrine and on isolated ileum from normal guinea-pigs. Occurrence of precipitins in sera from normal rabbits and guinea-pigs. Int Arch Allergy Appl Immunol. 1966;29(2):190–207. doi: 10.1159/000229700. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Nelson R. A., Jr A new concept of immunosuppression in hypersensitivity reactions and in transplantation immunity. Surv Ophthalmol. 1966 Aug;11(4):498–505. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. OSLER A. G., STRAUSS J. H., MAYER M. M. Diagnostic complement fixation. I. A method. Am J Syph Gonorrhea Vener Dis. 1952 Mar;36(2):140–153. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Quie P. G., Messner R. P., Williams R. C., Jr Phagocytosis in subacute bacterial endocarditis. Localization of the primary opsonic site to Fc fragment. J Exp Med. 1968 Oct 1;128(4):553–570. doi: 10.1084/jem.128.4.553. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. SCHUR P. H., BECKER E. L. PEPSIN DIGESTION OF RABBIT AND SHEEP ANTIBODIES. THE EFFECT ON COMPLEMENT FIXATION. J Exp Med. 1963 Dec 1;118:891–904. doi: 10.1084/jem.118.6.891. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sjöquist J., Stålenheim G. Protein A from Staphylococcus aureus. IX. Complement-fixing activity of protein A-IgG complexes. J Immunol. 1969 Sep;103(3):467–473. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Snyderman R., Shin H. S., Phillips J. K., Gewurz H., Mergenhagen S. E. A neutrophil chemotatic factor derived from C'5 upon interaction of guinea pig serum with endotoxin. J Immunol. 1969 Sep;103(3):413–422. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Terry W. D. Skin-sensitizing activity related to gamma- polypeptide chain characteristics of human IgG. J Immunol. 1965 Dec;95(6):1041–1047. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Tu W. H., Shearn M. A., Lee J. C. Acute diffuse glomerulonephritis in acute staphylococcal endocarditis. Ann Intern Med. 1969 Aug;71(2):335–341. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-71-2-335. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Ward P. A. A plasmin-split fragment of C'3 as a new chemotactic factor. J Exp Med. 1967 Aug 1;126(2):189–206. doi: 10.1084/jem.126.2.189. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Ward P. A., Cochrane C. G., Muller-Eberhard H. J. Further studies on the chemotactic factor of complement and its formation in vivo. Immunology. 1966 Aug;11(2):141–153. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Clinical and Experimental Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES