Biosynthesis of a structurally abnormal C2 complement protein by macrophages from C2-deficient guinea pigs

In order to characterize a genetic deficiency of C2 in guinea pigs, production of C2 by peritoneal macrophage cultures derived from four normal, four heterozygous deficient, and four homozygous deficient animals was measured functionally and immunochemically after metabolic labeling with ³⁵S-methionine. Macrophages monolayers from homozygous deficient animals failed to secrete hemolytically detectable C2 up to 72 hr in culture. A single cell hemolytic plaque assay also failed to demonstrate any functional C2 production by cells from homozygous deficient animals. No C2 protein detected in media from three of the four homozygous deficient animals, but in one, apparent C2 fragments were present. In contrast, intracellular C2 protein was identified in all four homozygous deficient cell cultures. Its mobility on SDS-PAGE was slightly faster than normal. Much less abnormal intracellular C2 protein was recovered from homozygous deficient macrophage monolavers than intracellular C2 protein from normal macrophage monolayers. Monolayers from heterozygous animals produced functional and immunochemical C2 at approximately 30% of the normal rate. Normal rates of biosynthesis and secretion of two other MHC-linked class III antigens, C4 and factor B, were detected in macrophage cultures from homozygous and heterozygous deficient animals. These data suggest that a specific defect, i.e. a structural abnormality in C2 protein, underlies C2 deficiency in guinea pigs.