A study on location of synthetic site which mainly synthesizes and delivers fifth component of complement system in...

Tissue sites for synthesis of the fifth component of complement (C5) in vivo have been investigated by using allogeneic bone marrow chimeras and bone marrow chimeras which were transplanted in addition with hepatocytes. Our prior studies have demonstrated that bone marrow chimeras which had been prepared by transplanting marrow cells from C5-sufficient donor mice into irradiated C5-deficient recipients lacked detectable levels of C5 in the sera. However, when such potentially C5-deficient [C5(+)---C5(-)] chimeras were introduced into their spleens by means of injections of fully dispersed single cell suspensions of hepatocytes isolated from the C5-sufficient donor strain, they accepted the transplantation of hepatocytes for prolonged periods and developed a measurable amount of C5 in the sera. These results indicate that C5 protein in sera is not synthesized in significant amount by cells that are descendants of bone marrow cells but rather that this complement component is synthesized and delivered to the blood in vivo by somatic cells including liver cells that are not derivatives of the bone marrow.