Current topics in complement II [4th Aegean Conferences Workshop on Complement Associated Diseases, Animal Models, and Therapeutics, June 10-17, 2007 in Porto Heli, Greece

Aegean Conferences is an independent, nonprofit, educational organization directed and managed by the scientific community. The board is made up of nine researchers/scientists in various disciplines from Harvard, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, UCSD, Princeton, Biovista and the Foundation for Biomedical Research Academy of Athens. The board both invites and approves unsolicited proposals for Conferences in all fields of Science, Engineering, Arts, and Humanities. The purpose of the Conferences is to bring together individuals with common interests to examine the emerging and most advanced aspects of their particular field. Complement has long been regarded as a pivotal effector arm of the innate immune response, eliciting important immunoregulatory functions in the context of inflammation and also serving as a vital link between the innate and adaptive immune response. In the post-genomic era, our knowledge of the innate immune system is enriched by findings that point to novel functions that do not strictly correlate with immunological defense and surveillance, immune modulation or Inflammation. Several studies indicate that complement proteins exert functions that are either more complex than previously thought, or go well beyond the innate immune character of the system. The advent of high-throughput platforms for genome and proteome-wide profiling, together with the enormous amount of raw genetic information that has accumulated in the databases, have stirred new expectations in biomedical research. They have led complementologists to revisit established biological systems, such as the complement system, from a global and integrative perspective. Complement research is now faced with the challenge of trying to integrate isolated biochemical pathways into complex gene and protein regulatory circuits. In this respect, scientists from around the world will convene at the Fourth Aegean Conferences Workshop on Complement Associated Diseases, Animal Models, and Therapeutics (June 10-15, 2007), to discuss recent advances in this fast evolving field. This volume represents a collection of topics on the "novel" functions of complement, patho-physiology, protein structures, design of complement inhibitors, and complement assays discussed during the conference. Front Matter....Pages i-xxx Adipokines and the Immune System: An Adipocentric View....Pages 1-21 The Role of Complement in Stroke Therapy....Pages 22-32 Food Intake Regulation by Central Complement System....Pages 33-44 A Pivotal Role of Activation of Complement Cascade (CC) in Mobilization of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells (HSPC)....Pages 45-58 Regulation of Tissue Inflammation by Thrombin-Activatable Carboxypeptidase B (or TAFI)....Pages 59-67 Interaction Between the Coagulation and Complement System....Pages 68-76 Platelet Mediated Complement Activation....Pages 77-87 Adrenergic Regulation of Complement-Induced Acute Lung Injury....Pages 88-98 Ficolins: Structure, Function and Associated Diseases....Pages 99-109 Complement Factor H: Using Atomic Resolution Structure to Illuminate Disease Mechanisms....Pages 110-135 Role of Complement in Motor Neuron Disease: Animal Models and Therapeutic Potential of Complement Inhibitors....Pages 136-151 The Role of Membrane Complement Regulatory Proteins in Cancer Immunotherapy....Pages 152-167 Role of Complement in Ethanol-Induced Liver Injury....Pages 168-179 Immune Complex-Mediated Cytokine Production is Regulated by Classical Complement Activation both In Vivo and In Vitro....Pages 180-194 Subversion of Innate Immunity by Periodontopathic Bacteria via Exploitation of Complement Receptor-3....Pages 195-211 Staphylococcal Complement Inhibitors: Biological Functions, Recognition of Complement Components, and Potential Therapeutic Implications....Pages 212-227 Human Astrovirus Coat Protein: A Novel C1 Inhibitor....Pages 228-242 Hypothesis: Combined Inhibition of Complement and CD14 as Treatment Regimen to Attenuate the Inflammatory Response....Pages 243-253 Targeting Classical Complement Pathway to Treat Complement Mediated Autoimmune Diseases....Pages 254-261 Compstatin: A Complement Inhibitor on its Way to Clinical Application....Pages 262-281 Derivatives of Human Complement Component C3 for Therapeutic Complement Depletion: A Novel Class of Therapeutic Agents....Pages 282-296 Back Matter....Pages 309-316 Preface 6 Contents 8 Contributors 18 1. Adipokines and the Immune System: An Adipocentric View 32 2. The Role of Complement in Stroke Therapy 54 3. Food Intake Regulation by Central Complement System 66 4. A Pivotal Role of Activation of Complement Cascade (CC) in Mobilization of Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells (HSPC) 78 5. Regulation of Tissue Inflammation by ThrombinActivatable Carboxypeptidase B (or TAFI) 92 6. Interaction Between the Coagulation and Complement System 102 7. Platelet Mediated Complement Activation 112 8. Adrenergic Regulation of Complement-Induced Acute Lung Injury 124 9. Ficolins: Structure, Function and Associated Diseases 136 10. Complement Factor H: Using Atomic Resolution Structure to Illuminate Disease Mechanisms 148 11. Role of Complement in Motor Neuron Disease: Animal Models and Therapeutic Potential of Complement Inhibitors 174 12. The Role of Membrane Complement Regulatory Proteins in Cancer Immunotherapy 190 13. Role of Complement in Ethanol-Induced Liver Injury 206 14. Immune Complex-Mediated Cytokine Production is Regulated by Classical Complement Activation both In Vivo and In Vitro 218 15. Subversion of Innate Immunity by Periodontopathic Bacteria via Exploitation of Complement Receptor-3 234 16. Staphylococcal Complement Inhibitors: Biological Functions, Recognition of Complement Components, and Potential Therapeutic Implications 252 17. Human Astrovirus Coat Protein: A Novel C1 Inhibitor 268 18. Hypothesis: Combined Inhibition of Complement and CD14 as Treatment Regimen to Attenuate the Inflammatory Response 284 19. Targeting Classical Complement Pathway to Treat Complement Mediated Autoimmune Diseases 296 20. Compstatin: A Complement Inhibitor on its Way to Clinical Application 304 21. Derivatives of Human Complement Component C3 for Therapeutic Complement Depletion: A Novel Class of Therapeutic Agents 324 Index 340 9780387789514 Complement has long been regarded as a pivotal effector arm of the innate immune response, eliciting important immunoregulatory functions in the context of inflammation and also serving as a vital link between the innate and adaptive immune response. In the post-genomic era, our knowledge of the innate immune system is enriched by findings that point to novel functions that do not strictly correlate with immunological defense and surveillance, immune modulation or Inflammation. Several studies indicate that complement proteins exert functions that are either more complex than previously thought, or go well beyond the innate immune character of the system. The advent of high-throughput platforms for genome and proteome-wide profiling, together with the enormous amount of raw genetic information that has accumulated in the databases, have stirred new expectations in biomedical research. They have led complementologists to revisit established biological systems, such as the complement system, from a global and integrative perspective. Complement research is now faced with the challenge of trying to integrate isolated biochemical pathways into complex gene and protein regulatory circuits. In this respect, scientists from around the world convened at the Fourth Aegean Conferences Workshop on Complement Associated Diseases, Animal Models, and Therapeutics (June 10-15, 2007), to discuss recent advances in this fast evolving field. This volume represents a collection of topics on the “novel” functions of complement, patho-physiology, protein structures, design of complement inhibitors, and complement assays discussed during the conference. This book represents the proceedings from the Fourth Aegean Conferences Workshop on Complement Associated Diseases, Animal Models, and Therapeutics (June 10-15, 2007). The volume includes a collection of topics on the ""novel"" functions of complement