Binding of C-reactive protein to human lymphocytes. I. Requirement for a binding specificity

Our laboratory previously reported that C-reactive protein (CRP) binds selectively to T lymphocytes and inhibits certain of their reactivities in vitro. However, these findings could not be repeated using more highly purified CRP preparations even under a variety of experimental conditions. Purified CRP alone did not bind to peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL); however, in the presence of a ligand such as pneumococcal C-polysaccharide (CPS), CRP binding was readily detectable both by immunofluorescence and by a radioassay established for this purpose. The optimal concentration of CRP, ratio of CRP:CPS, and time and temperature for reactivity were determined using both assays. A markedly enhanced rate of binding was observed after pre-equilibration of CRP with calcium. A small percentage (mean 3.0%; range 0.5 to 8.0%) of PBL bound complexed CRP, and saturation was reached with 200 microgram CRP/ml. Reactivity of CRP with a multimeric form of phosphocholine (PC) (KLH-PC44) led to binding comparable to that observed with CPS, whereas monomeric PC inhibited the binding. Thus, in the presence of a multimeric binding specificity, CRP binds to a small fraction of peripheral blood lymphocytes, which are characterized in the accompanying paper.