Human complement: onset and site of synthesis during fetal life
M. Adinolfi
The site and onset of synthesis of the various components of complement
(C), in man and other mammals, has been studied by incubating fetal tissues
in media containing labelled amino acid, and by the analysis of the culture
fluids for the presence of newly synthesised proteins. Another useful
approach has been that of detecting genetic variants of single components
in pairs of maternal and fetal samples. These investigations have shown
that all components of human C are produced at an early stage of fetal
development and that, in cord blood, the mean level of most components is
about half the value detected in samples from normal adults. In agreement
with the results observed in man, the maturation of C occurs at an early
stage of life in many other mammals.
