Suppression of natural killer cell activity by rabbit antibody to human beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) is an Fc-mediated phenomenon and is not beta 2m specific.

Natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity constitutes an important component of the host immune defence system. The NK effector cell has been relatively well defined in terms of immunophenotypic characteristics, but in contrast to the functional T-cell receptor molecule associated with major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted cytotoxic activity, the NK cell receptor has not to date been defined. However, several studies have suggested that the beta 2-microglobulin (beta 2m) molecule is functionally associated with NK cell activity. Using various heterospecific and monoclonal antibodies, this study has shown that intact rabbit IgG antibody bound either directly or indirectly to peripheral mononuclear cell (PMNC) effector populations significantly reduced their lytic activity against K562 targets. Substitution of F(ab)2 fragments for rabbit IgG antibodies, or the use of monoclonal antibodies alone, failed to reduce peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PMNC) lytic activity. Addition of non-NK cell components labelled with rabbit anti-beta 2m to purified NK-enriched effector cell populations also suppressed K562 lysis. In contrast, pre-treatment of a NK-enriched PMNC fraction with rabbit anti-beta 2m enhanced target lysis. These results strongly suggest that antibody-induced suppression of PMNC NK activity is mediated via rabbit Fc attached to co-existing non-NK cells in the mononuclear fraction, and are inconsistent with the previously suggested functional association between NK activity and membrane beta 2m.