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The porcine complement proteins C3 and C4 have been isolated and then characterized using small-angle scattering methods. Within the limits of experimental errors, the porcine proteins are virtually identical with the corresponding human proteins as measured in terms of mol. wt, Mr and radius of gyration, R,: Mr(C3) = 198,000, Mr(C4) = 207,000, and R(C3) = 4.4 nm, R(C4) = 4.5 nm. The C3 and C4 proteins from pigs show cross-immunity with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) raised against human C3 and C4, respectively. Using the Fab fragments of these mAbs as markers, it is indicated that porcine C3 and C4 undergo a conformational change after reaction with methylamine. The relatively large increase in the radius of gyration observed, delta R = 1.0-1.2 nm, going from the Fab complexes to the Fab complexes of the methylamine derivatives, is similar to that observed for human C3 under similar conditions. This may indicate that methylamine cleaves a labile thiol ester bond supposed to be present within the porcine proteins and that the epitopes interacting with the Fab fragments are very similar to those of the human proteins. Porcine C3 also resembles the human analogue by forming dimers after being subjected to methylamine and dilute lauryl sulphate: Mr = 404,000 and R = 7.9 nm.

Methylamine induces a conformational change of alpha 2-macroglobulin which is very similar to that obtained by proteinase reaction and binding. This was shown by small-angle X-ray scattering at 21 degrees C in 0.03 M Hepes buffer of pH 8.0 containing 0.15 M NaCl and 0.3 mM EDTA. When alpha 2-macroglobulin reacts with methylamine the side maximum virtually disappears from the X-ray scattering curve and the radius of gyration decreases from 7.8 nm to 7.2 nm. The X-ray data of alpha 2-macroglobulin are consistent with an open shape model similar to that deduced via electron micrographs [Schramm, H. J. and Schramm, W. (1982) Hoppe-Seyler's Z. Physiol. Chem. 363, 803-812]; one projection of the model resembles the letter H; the four subunits are mainly represented as elliptical cylinders which are connected via a central, quite flat cylinder. Zinc(II) ions cause aggregation of alpha 2-macroglobulin even at such a low total zinc concentration as 12.5 microM; for 25 microM zinc(II) concentration, the average molecular mass indicates that the aggregation goes beyond the dimeric stage. Monomeric species of alpha 2-macroglobulin appear to have the capacity specifically to bind 8.0 zinc(II) ions per molecule, which corresponds to two zinc(II) ions per subunit.