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Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae avoid complement attack by direct binding of factor H.

Taru Meri1, T Sakari Jokiranta, Jens Hellwage

  • 1Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Haartman Institute and Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland. Taru.Meri@helsinki.fi

The Journal of Infectious Diseases
|June 27, 2002
PubMed
Summary
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River blindness microfilariae evade the human immune system by binding factor H (fH). This interaction promotes the breakdown of complement component C3b, preventing immune attack.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Parasitology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Onchocerca volvulus causes river blindness, with microfilariae (mf) driving disease pathogenesis.
  • Microfilariae activate the complement system, but activation is prematurely halted, suggesting immune evasion mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the interaction between Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae and factor H (fH), a key regulator of the alternative complement pathway.
  • To determine if microfilariae utilize fH to evade complement-mediated destruction.

Main Methods:

  • Incubation of microfilariae with nonimmune human serum or purified radiolabeled fH.
  • Assessing the cofactor activity of bound fH in the presence of factor I for C3b cleavage.
  • Mapping the binding site of fH on microfilariae using recombinant fH constructs.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Microfilariae successfully bound factor H from serum and purified sources.
  • Bound fH, with factor I, facilitated the degradation of complement component C3b to iC3b.
  • The C-terminal short consensus repeats (SCRs) 8-20 of fH were identified as the microfilariae-binding domain.

Conclusions:

  • Onchocerca volvulus microfilariae possess a mechanism to evade the human complement system.
  • Binding of factor H and subsequent cleavage of C3b to iC3b are key strategies employed by microfilariae for immune evasion.