The key event in complement activation is the proteolytic cleavage of C3 to C3a and C3b. Three pathways can lead to C3 cleavage, namely, classical, alternative, and mannose-binding lectin (MBL) pathways. C3 cleavage leads on to the activation of the terminal complement pathway, causing the generation of the membrane attack complex (MAC), which assembles a lipophilic complex capable of lysing plasma membranes of susceptible cells.
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