Capacity of antigen uptake by B cells, fibroblasts or macrophages determines efficiency of presentation of a soluble self antigen (C5) to T lymphocytes.

Self antigens in the body fluids must be taken up, processed and presented by antigen-presenting cells (APC) in order to induce T cell tolerance. For self antigens like the fifth component of complement (C5) which is not picked up by APC via antigen-specific receptors, presentation has to rely on uptake by nonspecific means. C5 was used as a model soluble self antigen to study the capacity of different APC (B lymphoma cells, fibroblasts and macrophages) of taking up, processing and presenting low concentrations of soluble C5 to C5 specific T cell hybrids. Under conditions of limiting antigen amounts macrophages and fibroblasts exhibited similar presentation capacity for soluble C5 while B cells did not. C5 presentation by macrophages was enhanced in the presence of C5-specific antibody and augmented further if antigen was added in the form of particulate latex-antigen-antibody complexes indicating enhanced uptake via Fc receptor-mediated endocytosis or phagocytosis. B cells presented soluble C5 only in the presence of C5-specific antibody. Uptake of C5 under these conditions occurred via Fc receptors type II. This pathway of antigen uptake did not operate with other antigens which were presented efficiently after nonspecific endocytosis. In light of these findings it seems reasonable to propose that nonspecific endocytosis of serum proteins like C5 by B cells is normally limited in order to avoid interference with their critical role in antigen receptor-mediated uptake and presentation for the initiation of an antibody response. It seems likely that presentation of soluble self antigens present in the circulation may normally be the task of dendritic cells and macrophages depending on the physical shape of the antigen.