gp49B1-alpha(v)beta3 interaction inhibits antigen-induced mast cell activation

M C Castells1, L B Klickstein, K Hassani

  • 1Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA. mariana_castells@hms.harvard.edu

Nature Immunology
|April 27, 2001
PubMed

We have identified the integrin alpha(v)beta3 as a ligand for mouse gp49B1, thus identifying a new class of ligand for a member of the family of inhibitory immunoreceptors that bear C2-type immunoglobulin-like domains. The specific interaction was shown by both cell-protein and cell-cell binding assays. In addition, we found that the interaction of alpha(v)beta3 with gp49B1 on bone marrow-derived mouse mast cells inhibited antigen-induced immunoglobulin E-mediated cell activation. Because neither gp49B1 nor alpha(v)beta3 exhibit substantive allelic variation, their newly appreciated interaction may reflect an innate pathway for down-regulating the activity of mast cells.