IntroductionFc receptors are receptors for immunoglobulins that play a central role in immunity. On human leukocytes, a myriad of Fc␥ receptors are expressed; among these receptors, Fc␥RI is the only known high-affinity receptor for immunoglobulin G (IgG). 1 Fc␥RI is constitutively expressed on monocytes, macrophages, and myeloid dendritic cells. Interferon␥ (IFN␥) can enhance surface expression of Fc␥RI on these cells, and Fc␥RI expression can be induced on granulocytes by IFN␥ or granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulation. In contrast, cytokines such as interleukin-4 (IL-4), IL-10, and transforming growth factor- (TGF-) downregulate activating Fc receptors, including Fc␥RI, and enhance expression of the inhibitory receptor Fc␥RIIb. 2,3 In vitro, IFN␥ treatment leads to increased Fc␥ receptor-induced cytokine production. 4 In vivo, the role of Fc␥RI in immunity remains unclear, as due to its high affinity Fc␥RI is believed to be saturated with monomeric IgG. This has led to the concept that prebound monomeric IgG prevents participation of Fc␥RI in clearing immune complexes by extravasated effector cells. 5 Nevertheless, several in vivo studies documented a role for Fc␥RI, varying from a contribution during inflammation and autoimmune reactions, 6-8 or, during monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based immunotherapy in melanoma and B-cell lymphoma models, 9,10 to a malaria model in which transgenic expression of human Fc␥RI was central for effective mAb treatment. 11 Furthermore, Fc␥RI can induce potent proinflammatory signaling compared with Fc␥RIIa, 12 and can efficiently mediate both major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) antigen presentation and cross-presentation. [13][14][15][16] It remains unclear how Fc␥RI contributes to immune complex clearance in the presence of high IgG levels. For Fc␣RI 17,18 and Fc␥RIIa 19,20 it has been shown that cytokine stimulation can increase ligand binding of these receptors. This appears analogous to inside-out regulation described for integrins. Many integrins are expressed in a low-affinity binding state, which can be transformed to a high-affinity form upon cellular activation. 21 We hypothesized that inside-out regulation could contribute to immune complex binding to Fc␥R occupied by IgG. Indeed, several studies support intracellular proteins interacting with Fc␥RI and possibly affecting ligand binding. 22,23 In this study, we investigated the effect of cytokine stimulation on Fc␥RI ligand binding. Stimulation of Fc␥RI-expressing Ba/F3 cells and primary monocytes resulted in increased binding of immune complexes, whereas binding of monomeric IgG was only moderately enhanced. Upon cellular activation, Fc␥RI could readily bind immune complexes despite pre-engaged monomeric IgG. Taken together, these data might explain how Fc␥RI supports leukocyte interaction with immune complexes.
Methods
Antibodies and reagentsAnti-Fc␥RI-A647 was from BioLegend (clone 10.1). Unlabeled 10.1 mAb and mouse IgG1/IgG2a isotype were from eBioscience and BD Pharmingen, respect...