Any process involved in the activation of any of the steps of the complement cascade, which allows for the direct killing of microbes, the disposal of immune complexes, and the regulation of other immune processes; the initial steps of complement activation involve one of three pathways, the classical pathway, the alternative pathway, and the lectin pathway, all of which lead to the terminal complement pathway.

The set of specific processes that generate the ability of an organism to induce an abnormal, generally detrimental state in another organism.

The set of specific processes that generate the ability of an organism to induce an abnormal, generally detrimental state in another organism.

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of a protein by the destruction of the native, active configuration, with or without the hydrolysis of peptide bonds.

Any mechanism of active immune avoidance which works by regulating the host complement system, e.g. by possessing complement receptors which mediate attachment to, then infection of, host macrophages, which are eventually destroyed. The host is defined as the larger of the organisms involved in a symbiotic interaction.

Any mechanism of active immune avoidance which works by regulating the host complement system, e.g. by possessing complement receptors which mediate attachment to, then infection of, host macrophages, which are eventually destroyed. The host is defined as the larger of the organisms involved in a symbiotic interaction.

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of elastin. Elastin is a glycoprotein which is randomly coiled and crosslinked to form elastic fibers that are found in connective tissue.

The chemical reactions and pathways resulting in the breakdown of elastin. Elastin is a glycoprotein which is randomly coiled and crosslinked to form elastic fibers that are found in connective tissue.

A conjugation process that results in the union of cellular and genetic information from compatible mating types. An example of this process is found in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The cellular catabolic process in which cells digest parts of their own cytoplasm; allows for both recycling of macromolecular constituents under conditions of cellular stress and remodeling the intracellular structure for cell differentiation.

A process that is carried out at the cellular level which results in the assembly, arrangement of constituent parts, or disassembly of a vacuole.

The space external to the outermost structure of a cell. For cells without external protective or external encapsulating structures this refers to space outside of the plasma membrane. This term covers the host cell environment outside an intracellular parasite.

A vacuole that has both lytic and storage functions. The fungal vacuole is a large, membrane-bounded organelle that functions as a reservoir for the storage of small molecules (including polyphosphate, amino acids, several divalent cations (e.g. calcium), other ions, and other small molecules) as well as being the primary compartment for degradation. It is an acidic compartment, containing an ensemble of acid hydrolases. At least in S. cerevisiae, there are indications that the morphology of the vacuole is variable and correlated with the cell cycle, with logarithmically growing cells having a multilobed, reticulated vacuole, while stationary phase cells contain a single large structure.

The space external to the outermost structure of a cell. For cells without external protective or external encapsulating structures this refers to space outside of the plasma membrane. This term covers the host cell environment outside an intracellular parasite.

A compound membranous cytoplasmic organelle of eukaryotic cells, consisting of flattened, ribosome-free vesicles arranged in a more or less regular stack. The Golgi apparatus differs from the endoplasmic reticulum in often having slightly thicker membranes, appearing in sections as a characteristic shallow semicircle so that the convex side (cis or entry face) abuts the endoplasmic reticulum, secretory vesicles emerging from the concave side (trans or exit face). In vertebrate cells there is usually one such organelle, while in invertebrates and plants, where they are known usually as dictyosomes, there may be several scattered in the cytoplasm. The Golgi apparatus processes proteins produced on the ribosomes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; such processing includes modification of the core oligosaccharides of glycoproteins, and the sorting and packaging of proteins for transport to a variety of cellular locations. Three different regions of the Golgi are now recognized both in terms of structure and function: cis, in the vicinity of the cis face, trans, in the vicinity of the trans face, and medial, lying between the cis and trans regions.