Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Complement System

Complement System

The complement system is a group of approximately 20 plasma proteins that strengthen the body's defenses against infections through opsonization, inflammation, and cell lysis. Opsonization involves coating pathogens with complement proteins, making them more recognizable and facilitating phagocyte engulfment. Certain complement proteins induce inflammation that attracts immune cells to the site of infection. Cell lysis involves the destruction of pathogens through the formation of a...

Antimicrobial Proteins

Antimicrobial Proteins

Antimicrobial proteins are important components of the immune system. They aid the body in combating pathogens by either killing them directly or hindering their replication processes. Four main types of antimicrobial substances are interferons, the complement system, iron-binding proteins, and antimicrobial proteins.
Interferons
Interferons (IFNs) are proteins produced by lymphocytes, macrophages, and fibroblasts infected with viruses. While IFNs cannot prevent viruses from entering and...

Protein Complex Assembly

Protein Complex Assembly

Proteins can form homomeric complexes with another unit of the same protein or heteromeric complexes with different types. Most protein complexes self-assemble spontaneously via ordered pathways, while some proteins need assembly factors that guide their proper assembly. Despite the crowded intracellular environment, proteins usually interact with their correct partners and form functional complexes.
Many viruses self-assemble into a fully functional unit using the infected host cell to...

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

Eukaryotic Compartmentalization

One of the distinguishing features of eukaryotic cells is that they contain membrane-bound organelles, such as the nucleus and mitochondria, that carry out specialized functions. Since biological membranes are only selectively permeable to solutes, they help create a compartment with controlled conditions inside an organelle. These microenvironments are tailored to the organelle's specific functions and help isolate them from the surrounding cytosol.
For example, lysosomes in the animal...

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

Defense Against Bacterial Pathogens

The human immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to defend the body against bacterial infections. It consists of various immune cells, each playing a specific role in the defense mechanism.
Phagocytes
Phagocytes are the frontline soldiers of the immune system. They include neutrophils and macrophages. Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cell and are quickly mobilized to the site of infection. Macrophages are larger cells that patrol...

The Proteasome Structure

The Proteasome Structure

The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway is a well-known mechanism utilized by eukaryotic cells to remove cytoplasmic proteins that are misfolded, damaged, or no longer needed. In this pathway, the protein that needs to be eliminated undergoes a process called ubiquitination, where a chain of ubiquitin molecules is attached to the 48th lysine residue of the target protein. This ubiquitin modification helps the proteasome distinguish between a target protein and a healthy protein.
The proteasome is an...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Sp1 links CD46 to CD4 T cell metabolic fitness, survival, and retroviral control.

Science immunology·2026

Same author

A cut above: atypical proteolysis endows complement C3 with non-canonical immune activities.

The EMBO journal·2025

Same author

Complementing Anticancer Therapy: Antibody-Drug Conjugates Targeting CD46 as Prostate Cancer Treatment.

Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology·2025

Same author

Therapeutic Avenues to Modulate B-Cell Function in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease.

Arteriosclerosis, thrombosis, and vascular biology·2024

Same author

Canonical and non-canonical roles of complement in atherosclerosis.

Nature reviews. Cardiology·2024

Same author

Distinct use of super-enhancer elements controls cell type-specific CD25 transcription and function.

Science immunology·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion

Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion

Published on: February 5, 2010

Complosome - the intracellular complement system.

Erin E West¹, Claudia Kemper²

¹National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Complement and Inflammation Research Section (CIRS), Bethesda, MD, USA.

Nature Reviews. Nephrology

|April 13, 2023

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The complement system, traditionally known for host defense, also functions intracellularly as the complosome, regulating cell physiology. Dysregulation of this complosome is implicated in various human diseases, highlighting its therapeutic potential.

More Related Videos

High-Resolution Complexome Profiling by Cryoslicing BN-MS Analysis

High-Resolution Complexome Profiling by Cryoslicing BN-MS Analysis

Published on: October 15, 2019

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

Published on: July 18, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Aug 2, 2025

Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion

Depletion of Specific Cell Populations by Complement Depletion

Published on: February 5, 2010

High-Resolution Complexome Profiling by Cryoslicing BN-MS Analysis

High-Resolution Complexome Profiling by Cryoslicing BN-MS Analysis

Published on: October 15, 2019

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

High-resolution Melting PCR for Complement Receptor 1 Length Polymorphism Genotyping: An Innovative Tool for Alzheimer's Disease Gene Susceptibility Assessment

Published on: July 18, 2017

Area of Science:

Immunology
Cell Biology
Molecular Medicine

Background:

The complement system is crucial for host defense against pathogens and self-antigens.
Traditionally viewed as a serum-based system, its role in intracellular processes is newly recognized.
Kidney diseases are particularly susceptible to complement dysregulation.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the novel concept of the intracellular complement system, termed the complosome.
To elucidate the complosome's role in normal cell physiology and its contribution to human diseases.
To discuss the therapeutic implications of targeting the complosome.

Main Methods:

Review of current literature on complement biology and intracellular complement activity.
Analysis of the complosome's functions in various cell types, including immune and non-immune cells.
Examination of disease associations linked to complosome dysregulation.

Main Results:

The complosome acts as a central regulator of cell physiology, controlling mitochondrial activity, metabolism, and gene expression.
It plays a role in both innate and adaptive immune cells, as well as non-immune cells like fibroblasts and epithelial cells.
Aberrant complosome activity is linked to the pathogenesis of numerous human diseases.

Conclusions:

The complosome is a critical component of cell homeostasis and effector responses.
Understanding the complosome opens new avenues for therapeutic interventions in complement-related diseases.
Further research into the complosome is warranted to fully harness its therapeutic potential.