Molecular Intercommunication between the Complement and Coagulation Systems

The complement system as well as the coagulation system has fundamental clinical implications in the context of life-threatening tissue injury and inflammation. Associations between both cascades have been proposed, but the precise molecular mechanisms remain unknown. The current study reports multiple links for various factors of the coagulation and fibrinolysis cascades with the central complement components C3 and C5 in vitro and ex vivo. Thrombin, human coagulation factors (F) XIa, Xa, and IXa, and plasmin were all found to effectively cleave C3 and C5. Mass spectrometric analyses identified the cleavage products as C3a and C5a, displaying identical molecular weights as the native anaphylatoxins C3a and…

• DF
  Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

  Awards: KFO 200, HU 823/3-1
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: GM062134, AI068730, AI30040