Cooperativity between B lymphocyte membrane molecules: independent ligand occupancy and cross-linking of antigen receptors and Fc gamma receptors down-regulates B lymphocyte function.

IgG antibody-antigen complexes bound to B lymphocyte Fc gamma receptor (Fc gamma R) but not surface immunoglobulin inhibit the antibody-forming cell response but not proliferation of these cells in response to F(ab')2 anti-mu and lymphokines. The role of B lymphocyte antigen receptors in B lymphocyte Fc gamma R-mediated inhibition was evaluated. With the use of several different antigen receptor-dependent plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses, it was found that inhibition occurred irrespective of the type of stimulatory signal used, or whether antigen receptors were bound by antibody or occupied by nominal antigen. The degree of inhibition appeared to be directly related to the extent of antigen receptor cross-linking. Maximal inhibition only occurred if both antigen receptors and Fc gamma R were occupied by their respective ligands simultaneously during the early hours of activation. In contrast, antigen receptor-independent PFC responses to the mitogen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were not inhibited by complexes. However, the antigen-independent TNP-specific PFC response to LPS was inhibited by the combination of IgG antibody-antigen complexes and the hapten, but by neither alone. These results suggest that a down-regulatory signal is generated by functional cooperation between Fc gamma R and antigen receptors. Generation of this inhibiting signal could be mediated by the previously described physical interaction between these two receptors, and interactions between membrane receptors may be a general mechanism utilized by lymphocytes for the integration of multiple signals.