Genetic alterations associated with ALTered telomeres

The possible part icipation o f the complement (C) 1 system in the pathogenesis o f various nervous disorders has been suggested in experimental animals and in man (1). Abnormal concentrations of C components have been detected in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (2, 3) or degenerative neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (4) and subacute sclerosing panencephalit is (5). These C abnormalities have not always paralleled changes o f immunoglobul in (Ig) G levels in CSF. It has been shown that liver D N A (6), myocardial mi tochondr ia (7), certain lymphocytes, thymocytes (8), or killed kidney cells (9) can activate the C system directly without the part icipation of antibody. These reactions may be important pathologically in the induction of secondary nonspecific inf lammation after injury to these organs. The present study was undertaken to examine whether nervous tissues can also activate the C system directly. Activation of C following contact of sera with nervous tissue would provide a mechanism for inf lammatory changes in various neurological disorders.