Crystallographic evidence for deviating C3b structure

Abstract

Arising from: A. A. Ajees et al. Nature 444, 221–225 (2006)10.1038/nature05258; Ajees et al. reply Activation of the protein C3 into C3b in the complement pathway is a crucial step in the complement immune response against pathogenic, immunogenic and apoptotic particles. Ajees et al.¹ describe a crystal structure for C3b that deviates from the one reported by Janssen et al.² and by Wiesmann et al.³. We have reanalysed the data deposited by Ajees et al.¹ and have discovered features that are inconsistent with the known physical properties of macromolecular structures and their diffraction data. Our findings therefore call into question the crystal structure for C3b reported by Ajees et al.¹.