ABSTRACT
This chapter examines a critical and representative number of complement protein structures that provide insights into the structural biology of the complement system. C. Branden and J. Tooze and A. M. Lesk demonstrate early efforts for the classification of protein structure into families of structural motifs. However, complement structures are absent from these treatises. The determination of three-dimensional structures of complement proteins has been the basis for the elucidation of protein complex formation and the study of conformational dynamics by nuclear magnetic resonance and molecular dynamics simulations. Computational modeling, based on three-dimensional structures, has also been used for electrostatic calculations aimed at predicting the ionization properties of complement proteins and the driving forces for protein–protein recognition and association. Significant progress has been made in the determination of the three-dimensional structure of complement components, regulators, receptors, and inhibitors. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
