Release of Immune Complexes Bound to CR1 on Erythrocytes; Suramin Inhibits Factor I in the Presence of EDTA

An experimental model was established in order to study the release of immune complexes (IC) bound by complement C3b receptors (CR1) on human erythrocytes (RBC). Soluble tetanus toxoid anti-tetanus toxoid complexes were incubated with RBC in the presence of autologous serum at optimal conditions for binding. The RBC carrying complement-opsonized complexes were incubated with appropriate serum reagents, and it was shown that factor I was required for release of the complexes, which occurred without loss of CR1. Suramin was, irrespective of factor I, found to induce release of CR1-bound IC in the absence of EDTA, whereas factor I-mediated release was inhibited by suramin in the presence of EDTA. EDTA probably interfered through a charge-dependent interaction. These observations are decisive for the interpretation of in vitro experiments involving these reagents. The combination of EDTA and suramin was found inappropriate for use in quantitative determination of in vivo CR1-bound IC.     

Influence of Processing by Erythrocyte C3b/C4b Receptors (CR1) on Binding of Immune Complexes to Raji Cells and Polymorphonuclear Granulocytes

The binding of 125I-labelled bovine serum albumin (BSA)-anti-BSA immune complexes (IC) to Raji cells and polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells in vitro was studied. The IC were reacted for 1 h at 37 degrees C with normal human serum (NHS) diluted 1:2 in the presence or absence of human erythrocytes (E) before presentation for Raji cells or PMN cells. The IC showed a two to three fold increased binding to C3d, g receptors (CR2) on Raji cells, when E-CR1 had been present during the reaction with NHS, compared to IC similarly reacted with NHS only. Blocking of the E-CR1 by a polyclonal anti-CR1 antibody reduced the subsequent binding of IC to Raji cells to the same level as that obtained with IC reacted with serum only. Binding to PMN granulocytes of IC reacted with NHS in the presence of E-CR1 showed a 60% reduction compared to the binding of IC reacted with NHS only. It is concluded that interaction of complement-reacted IC with CR1 on erythrocytes leads to a more efficient generation of CR2-binding C3d, g-containing IC with reduced reactivity to PMN cells.     

Do Immune Complexes Formed with Autoantibodies Have a Role in the Maintenance of Immune Homeostasis Through Interaction with FC Receptors

Natural autoantibodies play an important regulatory role in the maintenance of immune homeostasis. They act as a first line of defense against environmental pathogens like toxins, bacteria and erythrocytes. In humans they are mainly produced by CD5+ B cells that are under the control of a regulatory T cell population. Fc-γ receptors are involved in antigen recognition and signal transduction and tuning, and some of the members of the FcR family have structural similarity to MHC molecules; they may interact with multiple Ig ligands and with non-Ig ligands.

We discuss the interactions between immune-complexes formed with natural autoantibodies and Fc-γ receptors and suggest that such interactions may affect self-recognition in the thymus and regulate immune homeostasis     

Erythrocyte CR1 Determination Using Monoclonal Antibody in a Microtiter Plate ELISA; Receptors Are Not Masked by Immune Complexes

The microtiter plate ELISA using monoclonal antibody is a specific, sensitive and quantitative technique for measuring CR1 on human erythrocytes. The present investigations established that receptor occupancy by immune complexes did not affect the measurements. The monoclonal anti-CR1 antibody To5 bound unimpeded to receptors that had reacted with an excess of complement-opsonized tetanus toxoid anti-tetanus toxoid complexes prepared at antigen:antibody ratios between 32:1 and 1:8. The CR1 levels on erythrocytes from 11 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were not increased (P greater than 0.30) after release of CR1-bound immune complexes by incubation with factor I. Neither did the serum from these patients contain blocking anti-CR1 activity (P greater than 0.10). Additionally, the number of antigenic CR1 sites in 10 normals and in the 11 patients with SLE was well correlated with the number of functional receptor sites as assessed by binding of soluble complexes (P less than 0.001). These data establish that the true CR1 levels are determined using the microtiter plate ELISA for quantitation of CR1 in patients with diseases involving immune complexes and/or autoantibodies.     

Interactions of Opsonized Immune Complexes with Whole Blood Cells: Binding to Erythrocytes Restricts Complex Uptake by Leucocyte Populations

The binding of opsonized, fluorescein-labelled bovine serum albumin (BSA)/rabbit anti-BSA complexes (IC) to washed human whole blood cells and isolated leucocytes in the presence of autologous serum was investigated by flow cytometry. In the presence of erylhrocytes (E), the IC-binding to granulocytes (PMN), monocytes and lymphocytes was inhibited by up to 46%, 61% and 48%, respectively, depending on the incubation time and the IC-concentration tested. The E-mediated inhibition of the binding to PMN was found to correlate with the average numbers of CR1 per E during the initial 15 min of incubation. Thereafter, the difference between IC binding to PMN in absence and presence of E, decreased in accordance with decreasing binding to E. IC-uptake by PMN induced a drop in side-scatter characteristics, attributable to degranulation, which could be prevented by the presence of E. In contrast to the findings for PMN, the difference between IC-binding to monocytes in the absence and presence of E increased progressively over the 90 min observation period, suggesting that different mechanisms are involved in the late-phase IC uptake by monocytes and PMN. Lymphocytes were heterogeneous with respect to IC binding, the main contributors being B cells. E initially inhibited and then later enhanced the IC binding to lymphocytes, suggesting that E promote B cell uptake of C3d, g-covered IC via CR2. Our findings, that E can restrict the IC uptake by circulating leucocytes, and that an IC-induced degranulation of PMN may be prevented by E, indicate that E may act as a high capacity buffer limiting inappropriate activation of phagocytes by circulating IC     

Inefficient Binding of IgM Immune Complexes to Erythrocyte C3b–C4b Receptors (CR1) and Weak Incorporation of C3b–iC3b into the Complexes

The binding of soluble complement-reacted IgM immune complexes (IC) to erythrocyte (E) C3b–C4b receptors (CRI) and the incorporation of C3b–iC3b into solid phase IgM-IC was investigated. The optimal binding of liquid phase IgM-IC to E-CRI was obtained with IC formed at moderate antibody excess, but the binding was low (2–3%) when compared to the binding of the corresponding IgG-IC (50–60%). Solid phase IC were prepared by coming microwells with heat-aggregated bovine serum albumin (BSA) followed by incubation with rabbit IgM anti-BSA antibody. The IC were reacted with human serum at 37°C. The binding of C3b–iC3b was determined by use of biotinylated F(ab')₂ antibodies to C3b-C3c and avidin-coupled alkaline phosphatase. The incorporation of C3b–iC3b into solid-phase IgM-IC increased when increasing amounts of IgM antibody were reacted with the antigen. The binding reaction was slow, reaching a maximum after about 2 h at 37°C. The binding of C3b–iC3b to the IgM-IC was remarkably inefficient when compared to the incorporation into IgG-IC reacted with the same amounts of BSA-precipitating antibody.     

Binding of Sheep Erythrocytes to Human Lymphocytes

The study concerned the binding of sheep red blood cells by human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The results indicate that the phenomenon (rosette formation) is probably dependent on thymus-derived lymphocytes (T lymphocytes) and not due to bone marrow lymphocytes (B lymphocytes). These data were obtained by a gradient centrifugation technique separating B lymphocytes from rosette-forming cells, by direct study of B lymphocytes and rosette-forming cells in the same preparations, and from the study of patients with selective immunodeficiency diseases and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Furthermore, inhibition of rosette formation was absent or very weak after incubation of lymphocytes with anti-immunoglobulin antisera, but considerable following their incubation with unspecific mitogens (phytohaemagglutinin, pokeweed mitogen, concanavalin A, anti-lymphocyte antiserum) and also after trypsin treatment. Incubation temperature was important for the frequency of rosettes, and experiments with metabolic inhibitors showed that to form rosettes the lymphocytes required an intact energy production.     

正常人红细胞CR1密度相关基因组多态性分布分析

采用PCR和Hind Ⅲ酶切技术研究了正常人红细胞CR1密度相关基因组多态性,发现在189例中国正常人群中,红细胞CR1密度相关基因HH型比率是79％,HL型比率是18％,LL型比率是3％。在30岁以上成年人中,64例男性的HH型（85.9％）明显高于63例女性HH型比率（68.2％,P<0.01）。在94例女性组中,60岁以上人群的HH型比率是62％与10～19岁女性人群的HH型比率94％相比有显著差异（P<0.05）。这些结果表明老年人红细胞CR1密度相关基因多态性与性别相关。     

Binding of Helix Pomatia A Hemagglutinin to Human Erythrocytes and their Cells. Influence of Multivalent Interaction on Affinity

The binding of ¹²⁵I-labelled intact (hexavalent) and partially reduced (divalent) Helix pomatia A hemagglutinin to human A.₁, A.₂, A.₃, A₁B and A₂B erythrocytes, human lymphocytes, human lymphoblastoid and other tumor cell lines was investigated. The essential finding was that the association constants calculated for the interaction between hemagglutinin and A-erythrocytes were many orders of magnitude higher than the intrinsic association constant for the interaction between the hemagglutinin and the blood group A determinant. The latter value was 5–10³1/mole. The K-values for intact hemagglutinin and A and AB erythrocytes were in the order of 10¹⁰1/mole at 18–22 °C and pH 7.3. For partially reduced hemagglutinin the K-values were in the order of 5–10⁷ 1/mole. Multivalent interaction would seem to be the essential factor responsible for the high K-values in the cell binding experiments. Intact hemagglutinin reacted against A₁ and A₂ erythrocytes or against a human osteogenic sarcoma cell tine (2T) gave homogeneous binding curves in Scatchard's plot. Human lymphocytes and most lymphoblastoid cell lines lacked hemagglutinin receptors.     

Effect of Normal Human Serum on the Binding of Specific Antibodies and Platelet-unrelated Immune Complexes to Human Platelets

Radiolabelled staphylococcal protein A was used to quantitate the binding of IgG on stored human platelets from human sera containing specific antibodies reactive with platelets and rabbit serum containing immune complexes (IC). Normal human serum (NHS) inhibited the binding of IC onto platelets and to various extents also the binding of specific antibodies. The attachment of inhibitors to platelets seemed to be reversible. The considerable difference in the inhibitory capacities of IgG-deficient sera and monomeric IgG indicates that IgG is the major inhibitory component of NHS. The binding of IgG from NHS onto platelets evidently hampers the detection of weak platelet antibodies even with the most sensitive tests. Purified Clq, known to modify the reactions of IC with fresh platelets did not alter the binding of IC onto stored platelets. A monoclonal, antiglobulin-active rheumatoid factor of IgM class displayed only moderate inhibition. Therefore, the application of RF or Clq for the differentiation of the binding induced by IC or antibodies is not useful in this assay system. The heterogeneity of immunologic receptors of platelets provides an explanation of the inhibitory inefficiency of Clq.     

Effect of Storage on Insulin Receptor Binding in Human Erythrocytes

The authors established the specificity, reliability, and precision of human erythrocyte insulin radioreceptor assay. On the basis of insulin binding, cell viability, and degree of hemolysis, heparin sodium was found to be a more suitable anticoagulant than sodium fluoride, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, sodium oxalate, or sodium citrate. In two sets of experiments carried out at 4°C and 23°C, human erythrocytes were stored as whole blood or isolated erythrocytes suspended in Tris-{4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazine-ethanesulfonic acid} buffer. The effect of storage under these conditions was evaluated by erythrocytespecific insulin binding. Human erythrocytes can be stored for 72 hours at 4°C without any change in insulin binding, insulin receptor sites per cell, or average affinity constant at the empty sites. Isolated erythrocytes can also be stored in plasma for 72 hours or in buffer G for 24 hours at 4°C without any change in insulin binding. It is not advisable to store human erythrocytes in plasma or as whole blood for more than 24 hours at 23°. These findings are useful in preserving insulin receptor activity when storage of erythrocytes is unavoidable.     

Immune Complexes Bound to the Primate Erythrocyte Complement Receptor (CR1) via Anti-CR1 Mabs Are Cleared Simultaneously with Loss of CR1 in a Concerted Reaction in a Rhesus Monkey Model

In the circulation of primates, C3b-opsonized immune complexes (IC) bound to erythrocyte (E) CR1 are taken to the liver and spleen where IC are removed and destroyed without lysis or sequestration of E. Individuals with diseases associated with IC processing often have decreased E CR1 levels, and in previous primate animal models of IC disease, E CR1 was shown to be reduced, but the relationship between IC processing and CR1 loss remained to be clarified. We have developed a simple model to study this question. In naive (nonimmunized) rhesus monkeys, E-bound mouse anti-CR1 mAbs (1500 IgG/E) are not rapidly cleared from the circulation. Infusion of monkey anti-mouse IgG leads to rapid indirect binding of this second antibody to E CR1. Subsequently, in what appears to be a concerted reaction, CR1-bound nascent IC are rapidly cleared from the circulation and CR1 is removed from E at the same rate. Clearance of bound IC and loss of CR1 were both independently followed by RIA. Imaging studies localized the cleared anti-CR1 mAbs to the liver. Western blots indicated that the loss of CR1 was not due to a conformational change, and E CR1 levels returned to normal in 2–3 weeks, suggesting that the return was associated with synthesis of new E. Our findings suggest that the key step in the clearance mechanism requires recognition (possibly by Fc receptors) of IC-like material associated with E CR1, and this leads to loss of CR1 and uptake of the CR1-IC substrate by liver phagocytic cells.     

The Placental Fcγ Receptors Studied Using Immune Complexes of Peroxidase

Immune complexes of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and rabbit IgG antibodies to HRP were used to study the Fcgamma receptors in normal human placenta. Cryostat sections of placental tissue were incubated with the complexes, and the peroxidase activity was revealed histochemically. The bound complexes were localized to the apical surface of the trophoblasts and endothelial cells of the fetal stem vessels. Binding also occurred within the wall of some fetal vessels, to stromal cells and occasionally to areas corresponding to the trophoblastic membrane. The strongest binding was obtained with immune complexes prepared at slight antigen excess. Eight- to sixteen-fold increased concentration of human and rabbit IgG was needed to block the binding of immune complexes. Bovine and porcine IgG did not block the binding. Treatment of tissue sections with neuraminidase enhanced the binding activity of the receptors. The technique is very convenient for studies of Fcgamma receptors in tissue. However, unfixed frozen placental tissue was not suitable for ultrastructural studies.     

Retention of Immune Complexes by Fc Receptors on Mouse Follicular Dendritic Cells

Follicular dendritic cells (FDC) are located inside lymph follicles and are mainly characterized by their capacity to retain antigens. We investigated this aspect in mice lymph nodes by using bovine serum albumin (BSA) labelled with 5-nm colloidal gold particles and homologous anti-BSA antibodies bound to 20-nm gold particles. Gold-labelled BSA injected alone in non-immunized mice was only rarely found in FDC cytoplasmic interdigitations. Injected in the form of immune complexes, it was retained by FDC. Antigen-free anti-BSA antibodies injected under similar conditions as immune complexes were always found in draining lymph nodes in the same locations as BSA-anti-BSA immune complexes. F(ab')2 from mouse immunoglobulins linked to colloidal gold particles were very rarely found between the FDC extensions, whereas it was intensely phagocytosed by macrophages. Our study permitted precise ultrastructural localization between FDC cytoplasmic extensions or inside macrophages and other cells of the lymph nodes, but it also pointed out that homologous antibodies linked to colloidal gold particles might be retained by FDC in the absence of antigens. These observations, carried out with colloidal gold, were checked by using 125I-labelled anti-BSA antibodies. Complement activation determinations of gold-labelled antibodies or immune complexes showed that antibodies or immune complexes fixed on colloidal gold particles do not activate the complement. This observation enabled us to conclude that Fc receptors play a significant part in the retention of gold-labelled antibodies or immune complexes by FDC of lymph nodes.     

癌症患者红细胞CR_1基因多态性研究

为了探讨女性癌症患者红细胞补体受体Ⅰ型(ECR_1)密度相关基因多态性的变化,采用血细胞DNA PCR和HindⅢ酶切技术对44例癌症女性患者红细胞CR_1密度相关基因多态性分布进行了测定,发现癌症女性患者红细胞CR_1密度相关基因点突变率高达54.5％,尤其是40岁以下的女性癌症患者红细胞CR_1密度相关基因点突变率(72.73％)比40岁以下女性正常人(20.80％)明显增高。表明年轻女性癌症患者癌变易感性与红细胞CR_1密度相关基因缺陷有一定的关系。     

Over-Estimation of the Number of Complement Receptor Type 1 (CR1) on Erythrocytes

The number of CR1 on erythrocytes, as measured by monoclonal antibodies, remains undefined because of the repetitive structure of CR1 and the presence of different types of structural CR1 alleles. We studied the number of CR1 per erythrocyte using two monoclonal antibodies, E11 and 3D9, which recognize different sites on CR1. The number of binding sites was higher for E11 than for 3D9 (ratio E11/3D9: 1.9 +/- 0.4, n = 17); however, this ratio was not affected by CR1 numbers or alleles. Partial digestion with papain of CR1 on erythrocytes abolished the binding of 3D9. It reduced the binding of E11 to one-third of its initial value (0.35 +/- 0.03; n = 13) using cells with different CR1 numbers or alleles. By immunoblotting, a unique 75-kDa stump of CR1 remained attached to the erythrocytes for every allele studied. Taken together, these results suggest that the number of CR1 has been over-estimated in the past using E11 by a factor of 2, or more probably 3. However, the over-estimation of CR1 number has been identical for erythrocytes bearing different CR1 numbers or alleles.     

Human Amoebiasis: The Interaction of Lymphocyte Surface-Bound Immune Complexes and Pmns Impairs T Cell Proliferative Responses to E. Histolytica Mitogen

In some of the sera from patients with amoebiasis circulating immune complexes are present which are thought to interact with lymphoid cells, enabling them to elicit a burst of oxygen consumption in PMNs. The intensity of chemiluminescence is related to the presence of C3⁺ and Fc IgG⁺ cells in the lymphoid cell suspensions employed. The generation and release of highly reactive oxygen derivatives from PMNs impair T lymphocyte proliferative responses to the E. histolytica mitogen. The Authors suggest that one of the mechanisms by which circulating immune complexes present in the sera of patients with amoebiasis may interfere with T cell-mediated immune responses, is through their binding to the surface of the C3⁺, Fc IgG⁺ cells with subsequent stimulation of the PMN oxidative metabolism.     

The Use of TNP-Conjugated Polyacrylamide Beads in a C1q Binding Inhibition Test for Circulating Immune Complexes

A new assay for the detection of circulating immune complexes is described. It is based on the same principle as the C1q deviation test: the binding of radiolabelled C1q to a solid phase is inhibited by immune complexes. Trinitrophenylated polyacrylamide beads are used as a stable C1q-reactive solid phase in our test. Aggregated IgG in normal serum could be detected by this method to a minimum concentration of about 10 µg/ml. The test was used to quantitate circulating immune complexes in sera of patients with glomerulonephritis, liver diseases, lymphoma, and myeloid leukemia. The results are compared and correlated with those obtained by the C1 q binding assay for the same sera.     

Determination of IgE-Containing Immune Complexes in Human Sera

We studied the polyethylene (PEC) precipitability of monomeric human IgE, and of human IgE artificially complexed with rabbit anti-human IgE. At conditions where precipitation of monomeric IgE did not occur, from 0.2 to 20% of the complexed IgE was precipitated. The PEG precipitability of the complexes was inversely related to the IgE/anti-IgE ratio used for preparation of the complexes. From 1.5 to 19.2% of the IgE in the redissolved precipitates could be detected by use of a two-site IgE immunoradiometric assay, the percentage being highest for complexes formed at equivalence. We conclude that exact quantitation of circulating IgE immune complexes (IC) probably is impossible by any PEC precipitation assay. However, the optimized assay was found to be useful for identification of IgE IC in sera with total IgE concentrations below 5,000 U/ml. IgE IC were found in 5/20 sera from patients with Felty's syndrome, in 5/39 sera from patients with extrinsic allergy and high levels of specific IgE, and in 1/17 sera from immunized wasp allergies. No IgE IC were found in 20 normal human sera.