Name: C3/C4 Depleted Serum
SKU: A340C
Price: 120.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Description

General Description

C3/C4-Depleted Serum is normal human serum in which C3 and C4 have been removed by immunoaffinity chromatography. The product is tested for the absence of C3 and C4 activity by testing classical and alternative pathway function. It is certified to exhibit less than 2% classical pathway activity and less than 5% alternative pathway activity. After reconstitution with C3 (1.3 mg C3/mL), C3/C4-Depleted Serum is certified to possess a functional alternative pathway for complement activation (Morgan, B.P. (2000); Dodds, A.W. and Sim, R.B. (1997)). Similarly, a functional classical pathway can be reconstituted by addition of purified C4 protein (400 ug/mL) and C3 protein (1.3 mg/mL) indicating that all other complement components necessary for classical and alternative pathway activation are present. Although a functional lectin pathway should also be reconstituted by the addition of similar concentrations of C3 and C4, the function of this pathway is not tested. Note that if only C4 is added there is a weak C3 by-pass mechanism whereby the convertase C4b,C2a is able to activate C5 (Rawal, N. & Pang burn, M.K. 2003) and form C5b-9 complexes capable of causing low grade lysis. This system of C5 activation is functional in both the classical and the lectin pathways and is approximately 1000-fold less active than in the presence of C3 and C4.

Physical Characteristics & Structure

C3/C4-Depleted Serum is supplied as a clear, straw-colored liquid containing all proteins of normal human serum as well as inactivated C3 and C4.

Specifications

Sizes Available: 1.0 mL/vial
Concentration: >50 mg protein/mL (see Certificate of Analysis for actual conc.)
Form: Frozen liquid
Activity: >80% versus NHS standard when reconstituted with C3 and C4.
Buffer: 10 mM sodium phosphate, 145 mM NaCl, pH 7.3
Preservative: None, 0.22 µm filtered
Storage: -70o C or below. Minimize freeze/thaw cycles.
Source: Normal human serum (shown by certified tests to be negative for HBsAg and for antibodies to HCV, HIV-1 and HIV-II).
Precautions: Use normal precautions for handling human blood products.
Origin: Manufactured in the USA.

Safety and Handling

Precautions/Toxicity/Hazards
The source is human serum, therefore precautions appropriate for handling any blood derived product must be used even though the source was shown by certified tests to be negative for HBsAg and for antibodies to HCV, HIV-1 and HIV-II.
Hazard Code: B WGK Germany 3
MSDS is available upon request.

Additional Information

Function

C3/C4-Depleted Serum is tested for classical pathway activity by hemolytic assays using antibody-sensitized sheep erythrocytes (CompTech #B200) and for alternative pathway function using rabbit erythrocytes (CompTech #B300). The depleted serum is reconstituted with 1.3 mg/mL C3 (CompTech #A113c) and 400 µg/mL C4 (CompTech #A105c) and retested to verify that a functional classical and alternative pathways are restored. The Certificate of Analysis provided with each lot gives a description of the assays and specific titers for the depleted and reconstituted sera compared to normal human serum.

Assays

The unit of classical pathway activity is the CH50 and for the alternative pathway it is the AP50. A CH50 unit is the amount of complement needed to lyse 50% of 1 x 108 EA cells (antibody-sensitized sheep erythrocytes (CompTech #B200)) when that amount of serum is incubated with the EA in GVB++ (CompTech #B100) in a total volume of 1.5 mL for 60 min at 37o C. See the Certificate of Analysis for lot specific values. An AP50 is defined as the amount of complement yielding 50% lysis of 1.5 x 107 rabbit erythrocytes (Er, CompTech #B300) when incubated for 30 min at 37o C in a total reaction volume of 100 µL of GVBo containing a final MgEGTA concentration of 5 mM. Lectin pathway activity of C3/C4-Depleted Serum is not tested, but it would be expected to be inactive due to the absence of C3 and C4.

Applications

C3/C4-Depleted Serum is used as a source of serum with minimal ability to activate any of the three pathways of complement. However, C1 can be activated as well as the lectin pathway complexes of the lectins and MASPs. These complexes will then activate C2, but further complement activation is impossible because C2 will have nothing to attach to due to the lack of C4.