COMPLEMENT REGULATORY MOLECULES ON HUMAN MYELIN AND GLIAL-CELLS - DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION AFFECTS THE DEPOSITION OF ACTIVATED COMPLEMENT PROTEINS

The expression of decay-accelerating factor CD55, membrane cofactor pr otein CD46, and CD59 was studied on Schwann cells cultured from human sural nerve and myelin membranes prepared from human cauda equina and spinal cord, These proteins are regulatory membrane molecules of the c omplement system, CD55 and CD46 are inhibitors of C3 and C5 convertase s and CD59 inhibits C8 and C9 incorporation into C5b-9 complex and C9- C9 polymerization. The presence of these proteins was assessed by usin g antibodies to each of the proteins by fluorescent microscopy, fluore scence-activated cell sorter analysis, and also sodium dodecyl sulfate -polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and western blot analysis, Schwann cells in culture expressed CD55, CD46, and CD59. It is interesting th at only CD59 was detected on myelin from both central and peripheral n erve tissue, The ability of these proteins to limit C3 peptide deposit ion and C9 polymerization in myelin was studied by western blot analys is, C3b deposition was readily detected on antibody-sensitized myelin incubated with normal human serum used as a source of complement but n ot with EDTA-treated or heat-inactivated serum. C3b deposition was not affected by anti-CD55 antibody, On the other hand, poly-C9 formation in myelin, which was maximum when 50% normal human serum was used, was increased four- to fivefold when myelin was preincubated with anti-CD 59. Our data suggest that complement activation on myelin is down-regu lated at the step of the assembly of terminal complement complexes, in cluding C5b-9, due to the presence of CD59.