membrane attack complex

(noun)

The final complex of all complement system pathways that lyses the pathogen. It is composed of C5b, C6, C7, C8, and C9.

Related Terms

  • C5a
  • mannan-binding-lectin
  • innate immune system
  • complement system

Examples of membrane attack complex in the following topics:

  • Role of the Complement System in Immunity

    • The end result of this activation cascade is massive amplification of the response and activation of the cell-killing membrane attack complex (also called MAC).
    • C5b forms a complex with C6, C7, and then C8, and C9, which becomes the membrane attack complex that lyses the pathogen.
    • This factor prevents membrane attack complexes from forming on the body's cells under normal conditions.
    • Similarly to the classical pathway, C3b forms a C42b complex, and the rest of the steps are essentially the same as the classical pathway, ending with C5b forming a membrane attack complex with C6, C7, C8, and C9.
    • The classical and alternative complement pathways start off differently, but end in the same cascade of complement proteins that combine to form a membrane attack complex.
  • Type II (Cytotoxic) Reactions

    • IgG and IgM antibodies bind to these antigens to form complexes that activate the classical pathway of complement activation to eliminate cells presenting foreign antigens (which are usually, but not in this case, pathogens).
    • That is, mediators of acute inflammation are generated at the site and membrane attack complexes cause cell lysis and death.
    • The membrane attack complex (MAC; ) is typically formed on the surface of pathogenic bacterial cells as a result of the activation of the alternative pathway and the classical pathway of the complement system, and it is one of the effector proteins of the immune system.
    • The membrane-attack complex (MAC) forms transmembrane channels.
  • The Complement System

    • The end result of this activation cascade is massive amplification of the response and activation of the cell-killing membrane attack complex.
    • Over 25 proteins and protein fragments make up the complement system, including serum proteins, serosal proteins, and cell membrane receptors.
    • C5b initiates the membrane attack pathway, which results in the membrane attack complex (MAC), consisting of C5b, C6, C7, C8, and polymeric C9.
    • n the classical pathway, C1 binds with its C1q subunits to Fc fragments (made of CH2 region) of IgG or IgM, which forms a complex with antigens.
    • The ability of C3b to bind to antigen-associated Ig would work effectively against antigen-antibody immune complexes to make them soluble.
  • Types of Adaptive Immunity

    • Cytotoxic T cells kill pathogens in several ways, including the release of granules that contain the cytotoxins perforin and granzyme, which lyse small pores in the membrane of a pathogen.
    • They also neutralize the toxins produced by certain pathogens and provide complement pathway activation, in which circulating proteins are combined in a complex cascade that forms a membrane attack complex on a pathogen cell membrane, which lyses the cell.
  • The Complement System

    • Using a combination of cellular and molecular attacks, the innate immune system identifies the nature of a pathogen and responds with inflammation, phagocytosis (where a cell engulfs a foreign particle), cytokine release, destruction by NK cells, and/or a complement system.
    • Certain complement proteins can combine to form attack complexes that open pores in microbial cell membranes.
    • Endogenous regulatory proteins prevent the complement complex from binding to host cells.
  • Fluid Mosaic Model

    • Nicolson in 1972 to explain the structure of the plasma membrane.
    • Plasma membranes range from 5 to 10 nm in thickness.
    • Some complex proteins are composed of up to 12 segments of a single protein, which are extensively folded and embedded in the membrane.
    • Similar types of glycoproteins and glycolipids are found on the surfaces of viruses and may change frequently, preventing immune cells from recognizing and attacking them.
    • Integral membrane proteins may have one or more alpha-helices that span the membrane (examples 1 and 2), or they may have beta-sheets that span the membrane (example 3).
  • Major Histocompatibility Complex Antigens (Self-Antigens)

    • Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a cell-surface molecule encoded by a large gene family in all vertebrates.
    • MHC III is a secreted enzyme that is neither membrane-bound nor involved in antigen presentation like MHC I and II.
    • Organ transplantation is a complex procedure that can potentially cure many chronic diseases and acute injuries.
    • If the T and B cells of the body recognize the HLA of the graft as foreign, they will attack the organ graft.
    • MHC-I/peptide complexes enter Golgi apparatus, are glycosylated, enter secratory vesicles, fuse with the cell membrane, and externalize on the cell membrane interacting with T lymphocytes.
  • Components of Plasma Membranes

    • The plasma membrane (also known as the cell membrane or cytoplasmic membrane) is a biological membrane that separates the interior of a cell from its outside environment.
    • The primary function of the plasma membrane is to protect the cell from its surroundings.
    • The membrane also maintains the cell potential.
    • The cell employs a number of transport mechanisms that involve biological membranes:
    • Among the most sophisticated functions of the plasma membrane is its ability to transmit signals via complex proteins.
  • Selective Permeability

    • Plasma membranes are asymmetric: the interior of the membrane is not identical to the exterior of the membrane.
    • On the interior of the membrane, some proteins serve to anchor the membrane to fibers of the cytoskeleton.
    • These carbohydrate complexes help the cell bind substances that the cell needs in the extracellular fluid.
    • Polar substances present problems for the membrane.
    • The exterior surface of the plasma membrane is not identical to the interior surface of the same membrane.
  • Hypersensitivity

    • Associated disorders: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, Erythroblastosis, fetalis, Goodpasture's syndrome, Membranous nephropathy, Graves' disease, Myasthenia Gravis.
    • Immune Complex Hypersensitivity (Type III) is an immune response to immune complexes (antigen-antibody complexes) that become deposited in a given area.
    • This results in continuous localized immune attack (and ensuing tissue damage).
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