Identification of a novel class of mammalian Fc gamma receptor.

A cDNA encoding an Ig receptor that conferred the ability to bind erythrocytes sensitized with IgG2, but not IgG1, was cloned by screening a cattle alveolar macrophage library, made in the vector pCDM8, expressed in COS-7 cells. A search of the PIR database indicated a greater level of similarity with human Fc alpha R than with any other FcR. The percentage of identical amino acids was 41% and nucleotides 56%. This high similarity is between the extracellular and transmembrane domains; the cytoplasmic tails are unrelated. Similarities with human Fc gamma RI, Fc gamma RII, Fc gamma RIII, Fc epsilon RI, or bovine Fc gamma RII were less than 28%. COS-7 cells transfected with the cloned plasmid bound erythrocytes specifically sensitized with IgG2 but not with IgG1. In tests with heat-aggregated bovine Igs, IgG2 purified from serum bound to transfected COS-7 cells but IgG1 from serum and IgA from tracheobronchial secretions did not. Human serum IgA also failed to bind to transfected COS-7 cells although it did bind to bovine neutrophils and monocytes. Only aggregated bovine IgG2 inhibited the binding of IgG2-sensitized erythrocytes to COS-7 cells transfected with the plasmid. These observations indicate that the FcR bound IgG2 specifically and was not a receptor for IgA. Thus, this receptor, which we have named bovine Fc gamma 2R, represents a novel class of mammalian Fc gamma R, the evolution of which is likely to have been influenced by the truncated hinge of the bovine IgG2 molecule. Analysis of genetic divergence of the genes encoding bovine and human Fc gamma R and Fc alpha R indicated that the novel bovine gene and the human Fc alpha R gene probably evolved from a common ancestor, which is not shared by other Fc gamma R.