Polyclonal antibodies directed against human placental Fcgamma receptor. Characterization of the antibodies and their interaction with the receptor.

Antibodies to the putative Fc gamma receptor (Fc gamma R) of human placenta were raised by immunization of rabbits with the receptor purified form syncytiotrophoblast plasma membranes of human placenta. The rabbit antibodies were of IgG class and their F(ab')2 fragment interacted with Fc receptors in solubilized form and membrane-bound, as well. Immunological reactivity of the antibodies with Fc gamma R was demonstrated using immunodiffusion, solid-phase immunoassay, and ELISA. Studies on interaction of the antibodies with the isolated placental Fc gamma R showed that antigenic determinants of the receptor were different from the IgG-binding site. Rabbit anti-human placental Fc gamma R crossreacted, to various extent, with Fc gamma R-positive human cell lines showing antigenic relatedness of the placental receptor with Fc gamma R on other cell types. The antibodies showed only a weak crossreactivity with guinea pig peritoneal macrophage Fc gamma R. SDS-PAGE analysis of immunoprecipitates obtained by treatment of detergent lysates of 3H-labeled human placental trophoblasts membranes with the rabbit antibodies or with human IgG showed the presence of the some components which were observed in the case of the isolated, purified placental Fc gamma R: Mr of 123,000 and 52,000-56,000 under nonreducing conditions, and Mr of 64,000-67,000, 52,000-56,000, and 26,000-29,000, under reducing conditions. The polypeptide chains of the purified human placental receptor resolved in SDS-PAGE and transferred on nitrocellulose strips were able to interact both with the rabbit anti-placental receptor IgG F(ab')2 fragments and with human IgG. This gives an evidence that human placental Fc gamma R polypeptide chains Mr of approx. 64,000, 54,000, and 28,000 contain antigenic determinants of the receptor and binding sites for the Fc region of IgG, as well.