GPI-anchor deficiency in myeloid cells causes impaired FcgammaR effector functions

Wouter L W Hazenbos1, Björn E Clausen, Junji Takeda

  • 1Department of Immunoregulation, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, 3-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

Blood
|July 9, 2004
PubMed

Signaling by transmembrane immunoglobulin G (IgG)-Fc receptors (FcgammaRs) in response to ligand involves association with membrane microdomains that contain glycosyl phosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins. Recent in vitro studies showed enhancement of FcgammaR signaling by forced monoclonal antibody-mediated cocrosslinking with various GPI-anchored proteins. Here, the possibility that GPI-anchored proteins are involved in normal physiologic FcgammaR effector functions in response to a model ligand was studied using myeloid-specific GPI-anchor-deficient mice, generated by Cre-loxP conditional targeting. GPI-anchor-deficient primary myeloid cells exhibited normal FcgammaR expression and binding or endocytosis of IgG-immune complexes (IgG-ICs). Strikingly, after stimulation with IgG-ICs, tumor necrosis factor-alpha release, dendritic cell maturation, and antigen presentation were strongly reduced by GPI-anchor deficiency. Tyrosine phosphorylation of the FcR gamma-chain in response to IgG-IC was impaired in GPI-anchor-deficient cells. Myeloid GPI-anchor deficiency resulted in attenuated in vivo inflammatory processes during IgG-IC-mediated alveolitis. This study provides the first genetic evidence for an essential role of GPI-anchored proteins in physiologic FcgammaR effector functions in vitro and in vivo.

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