A precusor of the third component of complement, pro-C3, was detected in studies of cell-free synthesis and intracellularly in homogenates of liver tissue cultures. The molecular weight of pro-C3 was indistinguishable from that of intact native C3 secreted in vitro by liver or peritoneal macrophages, but its structure was different. Pro-C3 is a single polypeptide chain, whereas C3 secreted by cells in culture consists of two polypeptide chains (mol wt 120,000 and 76,000) linked by disulfide bonds.
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