Jacks of all trades?—Probably not. The E. coli Eib proteins bind IgG Fc

Abstract We recently published a paper in Molecular Immunology ( Leo and Goldman, 2009 ) showing that the Eib proteins from certain E. coli strains bind IgG Fc, in contrast to a previous report ( Ghumra and Pleass, 2007 ). Richard J. Pleass has commented on our paper ( Pleass, 2009 ) and expressed a series of unjustified misgivings about our conclusions. Here, we address the points raised by Pleass, and reassert our claim that the Eibs are indeed genuine receptors for IgG Fc.