COMPLEMENT CONVERTASE: ASSEMBLY, FUNCTION AND REGULATION

描述（由申请人提供）：补体旁路激活途径（AP）是人类疾病和损伤状态中组织损伤的主要原因。旨在抑制有害补体活性的治疗剂已开始出现在临床环境中。C3转化酶是补体激活的关键酶。补体相关疾病和损伤可追溯至不适当的转化酶组装（例如自身免疫）和转化酶调节功能障碍（例如非典型HUS、年龄相关性黄斑变性）。转化酶组装和调节的控制是预防补体相关损伤的治疗策略的关键。我们的长期目标是设计预防或抑制有害补体的新方法。 在三种补体激活途径中，特别是旁路途径（AP）涉及许多疾病和损伤状态。该建议针对AP，特别是针对备解素，备解素是AP转化酶特有的组分，其功能尚未完全了解。最近，我们和其他人，已经采用动物模型系统，以证明备解素是一个有前途的治疗目标，改善AP依赖性发病机制。为了理解备解素功能的机制基础并开发用于AP依赖性补体活性的治疗性抑制的基于备解素的策略，我们提出了以下具体目的：具体目的1。使用体外模型系统来表征备解素模式识别活性对C激活的贡献。具体目标2。阐明备解素在AP依赖性发病机制动物模型中的作用。具体目标3。开发用于治疗性抑制病理性AP依赖性C活性的抗备解素试剂。我们期望这项工作的结果具有高度转化的潜力，并显着影响旨在控制补体旁路途径的治疗策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The complement alternative activation pathway (AP) is a principal cause of tissue damage in human diseases and injury states. Therapeutic agents designed to inhibit harmful complement activity have begun to emerge in the clinical setting. The C3 convertases are the key enzymes of complement activation. Complement-related disease and injury can be traced both to inappropriate convertase assembly (e.g. autoimmunity), and to convertase regulator dysfunction (e.g. atypical HUS, age-related macular degeneration). The control of convertase assembly and regulation is the key to therapeutic strategies for prevention of complement-related damage. Our long-range goal is to design new approaches for the prevention or inhibition of harmful complement. Of the three complement activation pathways, the alternative pathway (AP) in particular has been implicated in numerous disease and injury states. This proposal is directed to the AP and specifically to properdin, a component unique to the AP convertases and whose functions are not yet fully understood. Recently we, and others, have employed animal model systems to demonstrate that properdin is a promising therapeutic target for the amelioration of AP-dependent pathogenesis. In order to understand the mechanistic basis of properdin function and to develop a properdin-based strategy for the therapeutic inhibition of AP- dependent complement activity, we propose the following SPECIFIC AIMS: Specific Aim 1. Use in vitro model systems to characterize the contribution of properdin pattern recognition activity to C activation. Specific Aim 2. Elucidate the role(s) of properdin in animal models of AP-dependent pathogenesis. Specific Aim 3. Develop anti-properdin reagents for the therapeutic inhibition of pathologic AP-dependent C activity. We expect the results from this work to have the potential to be highly translational and to significantly impact therapeutic strategies aimed at controlling the complement alternative pathway.