U. R. Nilsson coauthored a 1965 study isolating beta1F-globulin from human blood serum and identifying it as the fifth component of the complement system, now called complement C5. The assignment linked an isolated protein to its function in a multicomponent reaction.[ref]
Isolation of beta 1F-globulin from human serum and its characterization as the fifth component of complement by U. R. Nilsson and others. Journal of Experimental Medicine 122, 277–298, original byline and Abstract
The study used kinetic relationships to place the component after Complement C3, and its reported hemolytic function depended on complement C6. These observations supplied information about reaction order and partner dependence, beyond merely recovering a protein fraction.[ref]
Isolation of beta 1F-globulin from human serum and its characterization as the fifth component of complement by U. R. Nilsson and others. Abstract, kinetic ordering and C6-dependent hemolytic activity
The logic resembles locating a missing part in a coupled system. If adding a separated component restores a particular function only when another required component is present, the observation identifies a dependency. It does not mean that the added protein alone performs every downstream event. Comparing complete and incomplete combinations can therefore reveal organization hidden by a single measurement of total protein.
The work also distinguishes abundance from activity. Detecting the isolated material and demonstrating its contribution to hemolysis answer different experimental questions. The credited contribution helped connect a named serum protein with a defined position and role in complement function, providing a reference for later studies of its activation and products.
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