Specimen Collection

Specimens must be transported and stored at 4 ^o C

Specimens must be centrifuged at 4 ^o C within 4hrs of collection, separated and stored at -20 ^o C or lower.

Liver transplant specimens only:

Phone laboratory before specimen taken

Hand deliver the specimen to the laboratory.

If these two conditions are not met then the specimen will not be able to be processed urgently.

Note: A dedicated blood specimen is required for this analysis.

4 mL EDTA Plasma (Always Required)

.

Reference Intervals

Uncertainty of measurement (manufacturer's data): 15%

Units: ng/mL

Age Range	Either Sex
All	75 - 219

Turnaround Time: Between 4 weeks and 6 weeks

Non-liver transplant patients.

Assay Method

ELISA

Diagnostic Use and Interpretation

The Terminal Complement Complex (TCC, SC5b-9) is generated by the assembly of C5 through C9 as a consequence of activation of the complement system by either the classical, lectin or alternative pathway. ¹ The membrane attack complex (MAC), a form of TCC, is a stable complex that mediates the irreversible target cell membrane damage associated with complement activation. ^1-4 Complexes formed in the absence of a target membrane bind to naturally occurring regulatory serum proteins, e.g. the S protein, ^5-7 at the C5b-7 stage of assembly forming soluble, non-lytic TCC. ^1,5

References

1. Muller-Eberhard, H.J., The Membrane Attack Complex, Springer Seminars in Immunopathology, Vol. 7, p.93, 1984.

2. Lachmann, P.J. and Thompson, R.A., Reactive lysis: The complement-mediated lysis of unsensitised cells. II. The characterization of activated reactor as C56 and the participation of C8 and C9. J. Exp. Med., Vol. 131, p.643, 1970.

3. Gotze, O., and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., Lysis of erythrocytes by complement in the absence of antibody. J. Exp. Med., Vol. 132, p.898, 1970.

4. Kolb, W.P., Haxby, J.A., Arroyave, C.M., and Muller-Eberhard, H .J., Molecular analysis of the membrane attack mechanism of complement. J. Exp. Med., Vol. 135, p.549, 1972.

5. Kolb, W.P., and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., The membrane attack mechanism of complement. Isolation and subunit composition of the C5b-9 complex, J. Exp. Med., Vol. 141, p.724, 1975.

6. Podack, E.R., Kolb, W.P., and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., The C5b-6 complex: formation, isolation, and inhibition of its activity by lipoprotein and the S-protein of human serum. J. Immunol., Vol. 120, p.1841, 1978.

7. Podack, E.R. and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., Isolation of human S-protein, of an inhibitor of the membrane attack complex of complement. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 254, p.9808, 1979.

Contact Information

For further information contact the laboratory, (09) 307 4949 ext 22103 or:
Associate Professor Rohan Ameratunga , Immunopathologist: Locator 93-5724,

Dr Richard Steele , or The LabPLUS Immunology Team

Specimen Transport Instructions for Referring Laboratories

Specimens prior to separation must be transported and stored at 4 ^o C

Specimens must be centrifuged at 4 ^o C within 4hrs of collection, separated and stored at -20 ^o C or lower.

Send a frozen aliquot.

Last updated at 17:58:01 22/08/2023