C2 and factor B: structure and genetics.

Complement components C2 and factor B are novel types of serine protease that are encoded by single loci in the major histocompatibility complex on human chromosome 6. The two proteins share 39% homology, or 50% taking into account conservative amino acid replacements. The catalytic chains, C2a (509 residues) and Bb (505 residues) show homology in their C-terminal domains to the catalytic polypeptides of other serine proteases. The non-catalytic chains, C2b (223 residues) and Ba (234 residues) both contain three tandem repeats of approx. 60 amino acids each, which are homologous to the repeats in C4b-binding protein and factor H, and also the repeats in the non-complement protein beta 2-glycoprotein I. Molecular mapping and DNA sequence analysis has shown that the factor B gene is 6 kb in length and contains 18 exons, while the C2 gene is 18 kb in length; 425 bp separates the 3' end of the C2 gene from the 5' end of the factor B gene. C2 and factor B are polymorphic and structural variants have been detected at the protein level by differences in charge. The degree of polymorphism at the factor B locus has been defined by DNA sequence analysis of the two common alleles F and S. In addition restriction fragment length polymorphisms have been detected in the C2 gene. These DNA polymorphisms subdivide the common allelic variant of C2 (C2C) and reveal that there is much greater variability at the C2 locus than that detected by protein typing.