Heterogeneity of human lymphocyte Fc receptors. II. Relationship to antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity

Human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) were incubated (stripped) with pronase or papain and compared with unstripped lymphocytes for their ability to mediate antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Despite marked removal or inactivation of receptors for heat-aggregated IgG (aggG) by proteolytic digestion, and pronounced changes in the percentages of cells rosetting with IgG-sensitized erythrocytes (EA) (decreased by papain, increased by pronase), stripped PBL functioned normally in ADCC. Stripped and unstripped lymphocytes were pre-treated with aggG to determine the role of aggG receptors in ADCC. AggG almost totally abolished ADCC by unstripped PBL, but inhibited ADCC by enzyme-stripped lymphocytes relatively poorly. Neither untreated nor stripped PBL were able to induce cytotoxicity of chicken erythrocyte (CRBC) target cells sensitized with the Fab'2 fragment of anti-CRBC IgG antibody (CRBC-A). Exposure of PBL to EA monolayers composed of CRBC-A or of sheep erythrocytes (SRBC) sensitized with rabbit anti-SRBC IgG antibody (SRBC-A) depleted PBL of cells that rosetted with CRBC-A and with human Rh-positive, type O erythrocytes sensitized with the human anti-Rh serum Ripley (HRBC-A Ripley). Non-adherent cells were incapable of binding aggG and had markedly diminished cytotoxicity in ADCC. Similarly, exposure of PBL to HRBC-A Ripley monolayers resulted in non-adherent cells that were incapable of rosette formation with HRBC-A or CRBC-A, failed to bind aggG, and exhibited significantly diminished ADCC activity. These studies indicated that: (1) cytotoxic effector PBL active in ADCC (K cells) have receptors for aggG and for EA; (2) PBL deficient in functional aggG receptors (enzymatically inactivated or removed) are capable of inducing normal levels of ADCC; (3) aggG and EA receptors appear to be closely associated on native K-cell membranes; (4) there is no clear-cut relationship in a given lymphocyte population between the presence of either aggG or EA receptors and ADCC activity; and (5) populations of PBL binding HRBC-A Ripley overlap with, and may be identical to, those binding aggG and other types of EA complexes.