CFB
This gene encodes complement factor B, a component of the alternative pathway of complement activation. Factor B circulates in the blood as a single chain polypeptide. Upon activation of the alternative pathway, it is cleaved by complement factor D yielding the noncatalytic chain Ba and the catalytic subunit Bb. The active subunit Bb is a serine protease which associates with C3b to form the alternative pathway C3 convertase. Bb is involved in the proliferation of preactivated B lymphocytes, while Ba inhibits their proliferation. This gene localizes to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class III region on chromosome 6. This cluster includes several genes involved in regulation of the immune reaction. Polymorphisms in this gene are associated with a reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration. The polyadenylation site of this gene is 421 bp from the 5' end of the gene for complement component 2. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]
Full Name
Complement Factor B
Function
Factor B which is part of the alternate pathway of the complement system is cleaved by factor D into 2 fragments: Ba and Bb. Bb, a serine protease, then combines with complement factor 3b to generate the C3 or C5 convertase. It has also been implicated in proliferation and differentiation of preactivated B-lymphocytes, rapid spreading of peripheral blood monocytes, stimulation of lymphocyte blastogenesis and lysis of erythrocytes. Ba inhibits the proliferation of preactivated B-lymphocytes.
Biological Process
Complement activation Source: Reactome
Complement activation, alternative pathway Source: Reactome
Regulation of complement activation Source: Reactome
Cellular Location
Secreted
Involvement in disease
Macular degeneration, age-related, 14 (ARMD14): Disease susceptibility may be associated with variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. Haplotype analyses have identified a statistically significant common risk haplotype and two protective haplotypes. CFB variant His-9 and C2 variant Asp-318, as well as CFB variant Gln-32 and a variant in intron 10 of C2, confer a significantly reduced risk of AMD. A form of age-related macular degeneration, a multifactorial eye disease and the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in the developed world. In most patients, the disease is manifest as ophthalmoscopically visible yellowish accumulations of protein and lipid that lie beneath the retinal pigment epithelium and within an elastin-containing structure known as Bruch membrane.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome atypical 4 (AHUS4): Disease susceptibility is associated with variants affecting the gene represented in this entry. Susceptibility to the development of atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome can be conferred by mutations in various components of or regulatory factors in the complement cascade system. Other genes may play a role in modifying the phenotype. An atypical form of hemolytic uremic syndrome. It is a complex genetic disease characterized by microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, renal failure and absence of episodes of enterocolitis and diarrhea. In contrast to typical hemolytic uremic syndrome, atypical forms have a poorer prognosis, with higher death rates and frequent progression to end-stage renal disease.
Complement factor B deficiency (CFBD): An immunologic disorder characterized by increased susceptibility to bacterial infections, particularly Neisseria infections, due to a defect in the alternative complement pathway.