This product recognises complement component 4 binding protein (C4bp). There are three variants of C4bp, composed of alpha and beta chains. The predominant form is a 570 kDa complex of 7 alpha chains and 1 beta chain. The other complexes formed are a 530 kDa homoheptamer of alpha chains or a 500 kDa complex of 6 alpha chains and 1 beta chain.
C4bp regulates the activation of the classical complement pathway. It is a cofactor to the C3b/C4b inactivator, crucial to the proteolytic cleavage of C4b and important in cleavage of C3b. C4bp also regulates the C4bC2a complex (C3 convertase), accelerating its degradation by dissociating the complement fragment C2a.
Both the C4bp alpha and beta chains interact with anticoagulant protein S and C4bp alpha binds protein S. C4bp is expressed in the blood serum.
Note: Not all species have been tested for usefulness with this product. Only those species listed have been tested. We cannot make any guarantees about additional reactivities which may or may not occur.
Store at 4 °C short term. Aliquot and store at -20 °C long term. Avoid freeze-thaw cycles.
Buffer:
Borate buffered saline
Preservative:
0.02% Sodium Azide
Limitations:
This product is for research use only and is not approved for use in humans or in clinical diagnosis. Products are guaranteed for 6 months from date of receipt, except for peptides and proteins which are guaranteed for 3 months.
C4 consists of three polypeptide chains (alpha, molecular weight 95 kDa, beta, molecular weight 75 kDa and gamma, molecular weight 33 kDa) and is usually present in serum at 200-600mg/L. It is a protein of the classical complement pathway. When activated by C1s, a peptide C4a is released and the generated C4b binds C2 which is in turn cleaved by C1s to produce the classical pathway C3 convertase, namely C4b2a. C4b also has opsonin activity and binds to macrophages and neutrophils via their CR1 receptor.