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Fc RECEPTOR‐INDEPENDENT PHAGOCYTOSIS BY MOUSE MACROPHAGES OF ERYTHROCYTES SENSITIZED WITH A LECTIN FROM A MARINE INVERTEBRATE
Author(s) -
Coombe DR,
Ey PL,
Jenkin CR
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1986.12
Subject(s) - phagocytosis , opsonin , biology , lectin , receptor , microbiology and biotechnology , hemolymph , antibody , wheat germ agglutinin , immune system , peanut agglutinin , agglutinin , ingestion , chemotaxis , macrophage , in vitro , immunology , biochemistry
Summary A'lactose‐specific lectin present in the haemolymph of the colonial ascidian Botrylloides leachii was tested for its ability to act as an opsonin for the phagocytosis of erythrocytes by mouse macrophages. Sensitization of sheep or mouse erythrocytes with one agglutinating dose of the invertebrate agglutinin enhanced significantly the clearance of these cells from the circulation of mice, as did treatment with specific antibody. By measuring the adhesion and phagocytosis of 51 Cr‐labelled erythrocytes by monolayers of macrophages in vitro , it was shown that the B. leachii agglutinin was highly opsonic, promoting the ingestion of erythrocytes by the macrophages with an initial efficiency similar to that of specific antibody. The adherence and ingestion of antibody‐coated erythrocytes was severely inhibited by blocking Fc receptors on the macrophages with soluble immune complexes, whereas the binding and ingestion of lectin‐coated erythrocytes was unaffected by this treatment. The results demonstrate that invertebrate lectins can act as efficient opsonins for the uptake of particles by vertebrate phagocytes and that it is not necessary for particles to bind to Fc receptors for phagocytosis to be induced.