Molecular structure of the gene and the 5'-flanking region of the human lymphocyte immunoglobulin E receptor

Mechanisms of formation of IgE-binding factors (soluble CD23)--I. Fc epsilon R II bearing B cells generate IgE-binding factors of different molecular weights

IgE-binding factors (soluble CD23) are generally considered to have an Mr of 25,000-27,000. The present study first indicates that IgE-BFs with an Mr of 33,000 or 37,000 may also be produced by Fc epsilon R II bearing B cells, depending upon the culture conditions and the nature of the Fc epsilon R II bearing cells. Extending our previous observations that the Mr 25,000-27,000 IgE-BFs are derived from the cleavage of soluble Mr 37,000 precursors, we show here that this cleavage is specifically inhibited by iodoacetamide but not by several other protease inhibitors. The proteolytic enzyme involved in the cleavage of Mr 33,000-37,000 precursors into Mr 25,000-27,000 IgE-BFs is cell-associated and is specifically expressed on Fc epsilon R II bearing cells. As expected, these Mr 33,000 and 37,000 fragments of Fc epsilon R II are capable of binding to IgE. The site at which these molecules are cleaved from Fc epsilon R II was located by determining their amino-terminal sequence. The Mr 37,000 IgE-BFs start at position 81 (glutamine) and the Mr 33,000 IgE-BFs start at position 102 (leucine) of the Fc epsilon R II sequence. Taken collectively, the present study not only contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms of formation of IgE-BFs, but also provides a means to prepare different molecular forms of IgE-BFs which may display different biological activity.

Molecular structure and expression of the murine lymphocyte low-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RII)

The cDNA encoding the murine low-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RII) has been isolated from a cDNA library prepared from B cells activated with lipopolysaccharide and interleukin 4. It encodes a 37-kDa protein of 331 amino acids with two potential N-linked glycosylation sites. Analogous to its human counterpart, there is no signal sequence and the putative transmembrane region is close to the amino terminus, indicating an inverse membrane orientation with the carboxyl terminus at the cell exterior. The predicted murine Fc epsilon RII amino acid sequence demonstrates a 57% identity with its human counterpart. The murine sequence has an additional internal repeat motif of 21 amino acids giving four repeats as compared to three in the human sequence. Furthermore, the murine Fc epsilon RII is truncated at the carboxyl terminus and the Arg-Gly-Asp sequence, a common recognition site of integrin receptors, which is found in the reverse configuration in human Fc epsilon RII, is missing. B cells activated with interleukin 4 and lipopolysaccharide have an increased amount of Fc epsilon RII mRNA as compared with resting or lipopolysaccharide-stimulated B cells. Con A-activated normal T cells, the TH-2 cell line D10, as well as the macrophage cell line J774 have no detectable Fc epsilon RII mRNA. Expression analysis using transiently transfected COS cells revealed that recombinant murine Fc epsilon RII binds anti-Fc epsilon RII as well as mouse and rat IgE but does not bind human IgE or mouse IgG. Fc epsilon RII expressed in COS cells has a molecular mass of 45 kDa whereas the Fc epsilon RII from B-cell lines is a 49-kDa protein.

Binding site for IgE of the human lymphocyte low-affinity Fc epsilon receptor (Fc epsilon RII/CD23) is confined to the domain homologous with animal lectins

The lymphocyte low-affinity receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RII) is involved in two seemingly unrelated processes: (i) promotion of general B-cell growth and (ii) isotype-specific IgE synthesis. To characterize domains of Fc epsilon RII important for effector function, we have expressed Fc epsilon RII mutants in mammalian cells. The results show that the IgE-binding region of Fc epsilon RII corresponds almost exactly to a domain of 123 amino acid residues homologous with the carbohydrate-binding domain of C-type animal lectins. With the recent demonstration that Fc epsilon RII binds to IgE independently of any lectin-like activity [Vercelli, D., Helm, B., Marsh, P., Padlan, E., Geha, R.S. & Gould, H. (1989) Nature (London) 338, 649-651], it is now clear that, in this case, the lectin module has evolved to interact with a protein rather than a carbohydrate moiety. The epitopes of several independent monoclonal antibodies that inhibit the binding of IgE to Fc epsilon RII are clustered within the lectin-like domain. Some of these antibodies are also known to suppress, isotype-specifically, the interleukin 4-promoted IgE synthesis from peripheral blood mononuclear cells or the spontaneous synthesis of IgE by B cells isolated from atopic donors. The epitope of MHM6, an anti-F epsilon RII monoclonal antibody delivering an epitope-restricted growth-promoting effect on B cells, is also located within the lectin-like domain. Thus, the lectin module of Fc epsilon RII not only acts as a carbohydrate-independent, isotype-specific Fc receptor but may also participate in the general regulation of B-cell growth.

Human IgE-binding factors

The production of IgE antibodies is known to be regulated by isotype-specific mechanisms that are not antigen specific. During the last decade several studies have indicated that soluble factors with affinity for IgE (IgE-binding factors, IgE-BFs) may exert such a role by interacting with IgE-bearing B lymphocytes. In the human, some of these IgE-BFs appear to be identical to soluble CD23, a B-cell surface marker thought to be involved in the control of B-cell proliferation or differentiation. In this article, Guy Delespesse and colleagues summarize several new findings regarding the cellular origin, structure and function of IgE-BFs/sCD23.

The B-cell binding site on human immunoglobulin E

Immunoglobulin E comprises the main immunoglobulin class associated with allergy. Its multifarious activities are mediated by two types of Fc receptors found on different cell populations, Fc epsilon R1 on mast cells and basophils, and Fc epsilon R2 on inflammatory cells (monocytes, eosinophils and platelets) and B lymphocytes. Recombinant epsilon-chain fragments synthesized in Escherichia coli have provided the means of mapping the receptor-binding sites on human IgE, and blocking IgE-receptor interactions. We have previously shown that the Fc epsilon R1 binding site is contained within a sequence (Gln 301-Arg 376) spanning the C epsilon 2 and C epsilon 3 domains. Here we show that Fc epsilon R2 can recognize a motif in the C epsilon 3 domain that is formed on dimerization of one or both of the flanking (C epsilon 2 and C epsilon 4) domains. Glycosylation of IgE is not required for the activity of either receptor.

The 5' splice site: phylogenetic evolution and variable geometry of association with U1RNA

The 5' splice site sequences of 3294 introns from various organisms (1-672) were analyzed in order to determine the rules governing evolution of this sequence, which may shed light on the mechanism of cleavage at the exon-intron junction. The data indicate that, currently, in all organisms, a common sequence 1GUAAG6U and its derivatives are used as well as an additional sequence and its derivatives, which differ in metazoa (G/1GUgAG6U), lower eucaryotes (1GUAxG6U) and higher plants (AG/1GU3A). They all partly resemble the prototype sequence AG/1GUAAG6U whose 8 contigous nucleotides are complementary to the nucleotides 4-11 of U1RNA, which are perfectly conserved in the course of phylogenetic evolution. Detailed examination of the data shows that U1RNA can recognize different parts of 5' splice sites. As a rule, either prototype nucleotides at position -2 and -1 or at positions 4, 5 or 6 or at positions 3-4 are dispensable provided that the stability of the U1RNA-5' splice site hybrid is conserved. On the basis of frequency of sequences, the optimal size of the hybridizable region is 5-7 nucleotides. Thus, the cleavage at the exon-intron junction seems to imply, first, that the 5' splice site is recognized by U1RNA according to a "variable geometry" program; second, that the precise cleavage site is determined by the conserved sequence of U1RNA since it occurs exactly opposite to the junction between nucleotides C9 and C10 of U1RNA. The variable geometry of the U1RNA-5' splice site association provides flexibility to the system and allows diversification in the course of phylogenetic evolution.

Two species of human Fc epsilon receptor II (Fc epsilon RII/CD23): tissue-specific and IL-4-specific regulation of gene expression

The Fc epsilon receptor II (Fc epsilon RII, CD23) functions in B cell growth and differentiation and in IgE-mediated immunity. The Fc epsilon RII structure expressed on various cell types has been analyzed identifying two species, Fc epsilon RIIa and Fc epsilon RIIb. Sequence analysis of the cloned cDNAs revealed that they differ only at the N-terminal cytoplasmic region, but share the same C-terminal extracellular region. These Fc epsilon RII species appear to be generated utilizing different transcriptional initiation sites and alternative RNA splicing. Fc epsilon RIIa is constitutively expressed only in normal B cells and B cell lines, whereas Fc epsilon RIIb expression is detectable in various cell types, such as monocytes and eosinophils. Normally, Fc epsilon RIIb is undetectable in B cells and monocytes, and can be induced by interleukin-4. Moreover, Fc epsilon RIIb is expressed on peripheral blood lymphocytes in atopic individuals. These findings may explain the difference in Fc epsilon RIIa and Fc epsilon RIIb function in B cells and the effector phase of IgE-mediated immunity.

IgE-binding factors: their possible role in the regulation of IgE synthesis

B cell-derived IgE-BFs (sCD23) are cleavage fragments of surface Fc epsilon R II. Their production is increased by IL4 and suppressed by IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha. IgE-BFs are likely to play a role in the regulation of human IgE synthesis as shown by the following two observations: i. MabER specifically blocks both the spontaneous IgE by synthesis by atopic B cells and the IL4-induced IgE synthesis by normal lymphocytes, ii. purified IgE-BFs enhance the IL4-induced and the spontaneous IgE synthesis. Soluble fragments of Fc epsilon R II also display BCGF-like activity although the exact structure of these fragments is not yet identified. The cDNA coding for Fc epsilon R II has been cloned and functionally expressed. The predicted amino acid sequence reveals no homology between human and rodent IgE-BFs indicating that they are unrelated molecules.