Summary Carbamylation is a post‐translational modification that can be detected on a range of proteins, including immunoglobulin (Ig)G, in several clinical conditions. Carbamylated IgG (ca‐IgG) was reported to lose its capacity to trigger complement activation, but the mechanism remains unclear. Because C1q binds with high affinity to hexameric IgG, we analyzed whether carbamylation of IgG affects binding of C1q, hexamerization and complement‐dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). Synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were analyzed for the presence of ca‐IgG in vivo. Synovial tissues from RA patients were analyzed for the presence of ca‐IgG using mass spectrometry (MS). Monomeric or hexameric antibodies were carbamylated in vitro and quality in solution was controlled. The capacity of ca‐IgG to activate complement was analyzed in enzyme‐linked immunosorbent (ELISAs) and cellular CDC assays. Using MS, we identified ca‐IgG to be present in the joints of RA patients. Using in vitro carbamylated antibodies, we observed that ca‐IgG lost its capacity to activate complement in both solid‐phase and CDC assays. Mixing ca‐IgG with non‐modified IgG did not result in effective inhibition of complement activation by ca‐IgG. Carbamylation of both monomeric IgG and preformed hexameric IgG greatly impaired the capacity to trigger complement activation. Furthermore, upon carbamylation, the preformed hexameric IgG dissociated into monomeric IgG in solution, indicating that carbamylation influences both hexamerization and C1q binding. In conclusion, ca‐IgG can be detected in vivo and has a strongly reduced capacity to activate complement which is, in part, mediated through a reduced ability to form hexamers.

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Pattern recognition molecules (PRMs) form an important part of innate immunity, where they facilitate the response to infections and damage by triggering processes such as inflammation. The pentraxin family of soluble PRMs comprises long and short pentraxins, with the former containing unique N-terminal regions unrelated to other proteins or each other. No complete high-resolution structural information exists about long pentraxins, unlike the short pentraxins, where there is an abundance of both X-ray and cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM)-derived structures. This study presents a high-resolution structure of the prototypical long pentraxin, PTX3. Cryo-EM yielded a 2.5-Å map of the C-terminal pentraxin domains that revealed a radically different quaternary structure compared to other pentraxins, comprising a glycosylated D4 symmetrical octameric complex stabilized by an extensive disulfide network. The cryo-EM map indicated α-helices that extended N terminal of the pentraxin domains that were not fully resolved. AlphaFold was used to predict the remaining N-terminal structure of the octameric PTX3 complex, revealing two long tetrameric coiled coils with two hinge regions, which was validated using classification of cryo-EM two-dimensional averages. The resulting hybrid cryo-EM/AlphaFold structure allowed mapping of ligand binding sites, such as C1q and fibroblast growth factor-2, as well as rationalization of previous biochemical data. Given the relevance of PTX3 in conditions ranging from COVID-19 prognosis, cancer progression, and female infertility, this structure could be used to inform the understanding and rational design of therapies for these disorders and processes.

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