| complement pathway, alternative | The complement activation sequence initiated by the activation of complement factor c3, which is triggered by the interaction of microbial polysaccharides and properdin without participation of an antigen-antibody reaction. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| complement pathway, classical | The sequential activation of complement, initiated by antigen-antibody complex and the binding of complement factor c1q to the fc region of the antibody. (12 Dec 1998) |
| complement system | A group of more than 20 serum proteins, some of which can be serially activated and participate in a cascade resulting in cell lysis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| complement unit | The smallest amount (highest dilution) of complement that will cause haemolysis of a unit of red blood cells in the presence of a haemolysin unit. Synonym: alexin unit. (05 Mar 2000) |
| component of complement | Any one of the nine distinct protein units (designated C1 through C9 and distributed in the a, b, and g electrophoretic partitions of normal serum) that effect the immunological activities long associated with complement. C1 is a complex of three subunits: C1q, C1r, and C1s. C1q (overbar indicates "active form") activates proenzyme C1r to C1r which activates C1s to C1s (also known as C1 esterase), which converts proenzyme C2 to C2b and produces C4b from C4. C2b combines with C4b to form "classical-complement-pathway C3/C5 convertase" (also known as C3 convertase, C5 convertase, and C42). This enzyme cleaves C3 to C3a and C3b, and C5 to yield C5a and C5b, as does "alternative-complement-pathway C3/C5 convertase" (also known as proenzyme factor B, properdin factor B, C3 proactivator, and heat-labile factor). Complement factor I (also known as C3b or C3b/C4b inactivator) inactivates C3b and C4b by a different proteolytic cleavage. Several autosomal recessive disorders have been identified in which one or more of the complement components have been deficient or completely absent. (05 Mar 2000) |
| heparin complement | The protein component of heparin in blood. (05 Mar 2000) |
| thyrotoxic complement-fixation factor | A form of thyrotoxin; an antigen found most readily in thyroid tissue from thyrotoxic individuals; known to be chemically and immunologically distinct from thyroglobulin, and fixes complement when combined with antibody related to the gamma-globulin fraction of serum. With the exception of extremely small concentrations, the antigen is rarely found in normal glands or in diseased glands that are not associated with thyrotoxicosis; it is probably an intracellular substance (possibly a constituent of the "microsomal fraction"), and does not contain iodine in significant quantity. Not related to the complement-fixation reaction occurring with serum in Hashimoto's disease, in which the antigen is thyroglobulin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| accessory chromosome | A chromosome existing without its normal homologous chromosome; at the reduction division of gametogenesis an accessory chromosome is likely to be included in one daughter cell and not in the other, but may be lost completely by lagging behind on the equatorial plate. Synonym: monosome, odd chromosome, unpaired allosome, unpaired chromosome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acentric chromosome | A fragment of a chromosome lacking a centromere and unable to attach to the mitotic spindle, therefore unable to take part in the division of a nucleus and randomly distributed in daughter cells. Synonym: acentric fragment. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acrocentric chromosome | A chromosome with the centromere placed very close to one end so that the short arm is very small, often with a satellite. (05 Mar 2000) |
| balanced chromosome | <genetics> A chromosome which is unable to pair with its homologue and participate in homologus recombination during meiosis because it contains several inversion mutations (that is, has segments which have become flip-flopped). (09 Oct 1997) |
| B chromosome | <genetics> Small acentric chromosome, part of the normal genome of some races and species of plants. (18 Nov 1997) |
| bivalent chromosome | A pair of chromosome's temporarily united. (05 Mar 2000) |
| marker chromosome | An abnormal chromosome that is distinctive in appearance but not fully identified. For example, the fragile x chromosome was once called the marker x. (12 Dec 1998) |
| p arm of a chromosome | The short arm of a chromosome (from the french petit meaning small). All human chromosomes have 2 arms: the p and q arms. (12 Dec 1998) |