Alloantibody-induced cytotoxicity of macrophages.

Alloantibodies substantially alter the in vitro nonspecific cytotoxic effect of macrophages on bystanding allogeneic and xenogeneic target cells. Although the specific IgM alloantibody increased significantly the ability to parental macrophages to damage target cells, IgG alloantibody had an opposite effect and suppressed the macrophage cytotoxicity. Macrophages of F1 hybrid mice were less affected by this treatment unless alloantibodies against both parental strains were added together. Parental macrophages exposed in vitro to the concomitant action of both IgM and IgG alloantibodies exhibited a diminished cytotoxicity toward target cells. It is proposed that IgM and IgG alloantibodies induce different conformational changes of the macrophage surface.