CD32 (cluster of differentiation 32), also known as FcγRII or FCGR2, is a surface receptor
glycoprotein
Glycoproteins are proteins which contain oligosaccharide (sugar) chains covalently attached to amino acid side-chains. The carbohydrate is attached to the protein in a cotranslational or posttranslational modification. This process is known a ...
belonging to the Ig gene superfamily.
CD32 can be found on the surface of a variety of immune cells.
CD32 has a low-affinity for the
Fc region of
IgG antibodies in monomeric form, but high affinity for IgG
immune complex
An immune complex, sometimes called an antigen-antibody complex or antigen-bound antibody, is a molecule formed from the binding of multiple antigens to antibodies. The bound antigen and antibody act as a unitary object, effectively an antigen of ...
es.
CD32 has two major functions: cellular response regulation, and the uptake of immune complexes.
Cellular responses regulated by CD32 include
phagocytosis
Phagocytosis () is the process by which a cell (biology), cell uses its plasma membrane to engulf a large particle (≥ 0.5 μm), giving rise to an internal compartment called the phagosome. It is one type of endocytosis. A cell that performs ph ...
,
cytokine
Cytokines () are a broad and loose category of small proteins (~5–25 kDa) important in cell signaling.
Cytokines are produced by a broad range of cells, including immune cells like macrophages, B cell, B lymphocytes, T cell, T lymphocytes ...
stimulation, and
endocytic transport.
Dysregulated CD32 is associated with different forms of
autoimmunity
In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an " autoimmune disease ...
, including
systemic lupus erythematosus
Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...
.
In humans, there are three major CD32 subtypes: CD32A, CD32B, and CD32C. While CD32A and CD32C are involved in activating cellular responses, CD32B is inhibitory.
Structure and signaling
CD32 is a
type I transmembrane protein
A single-pass membrane protein also known as single-spanning protein or bitopic protein is a transmembrane protein that spans the lipid bilayer only once. These proteins may constitute up to 50% of all transmembrane proteins, depending on the or ...
with a helical transmembrane region.
Whereas the extracellular region consists of three
immunoglobulin domains (roughly 100 a.a. in length), the cytosolic region varies by subtype. CD32A and CD32C possess an
immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif An immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) is a conserved sequence of four amino acids that is repeated twice in the cytoplasmic tails of non-catalytic tyrosine-phosphorylated receptors, cell-surface proteins found mainly on immune ce ...
(ITAM), while CD32B has an
immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif An immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM), is a conserved sequence of amino acids that is found intracellularly in the cytoplasmic domains of many inhibitory receptors of the non-catalytic tyrosine-phosphorylated receptor family fou ...
(ITIM). Both motif types rely upon interactions with
SH2 domain-containing proteins to transduce signals upon binding to an IgG immune complex. When an ITIM is
phosphorylated
In biochemistry, phosphorylation is described as the "transfer of a phosphate group" from a donor to an acceptor. A common phosphorylating agent (phosphate donor) is ATP and a common family of acceptor are alcohols:
:
This equation can be writt ...
, it activates effector proteins that dephosphorylate the downstream targets of the ITAM signal cascade, such as
MAP kinases.
CD32 receptors bind to the
lower hinge region of IgG via an extracellular domain. Additionally, all CD32 subtypes readily bind
IgG1 and
IgG3 immune complexes, but differ in their binding affinities for
IgG2
Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is a type of antibody. Representing approximately 75% of serum antibodies in humans, IgG is the most common type of antibody found in blood circulation. IgG molecules are created and released by plasma B cells. Each IgG ant ...
and
IgG4. CD32A binds IgG2 immune complexes, but not IgG4. CD32B and CD32C bind IgG4 immune complexes, but not IgG2. The usage of
monoclonal antibodies
A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a Lineage (evolution), cell lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell.
Mon ...
can distinguish between CD32A and CD32B;
however, the high degree of homology between the extracellular domains of CD32A and CD32C make differentiation difficult.
Functions and locations
''CD32A''
CD32A is an activating subtype of CD32 that can be found on a variety of immune cells - notably, CD32A is found on
platelet
Platelets or thrombocytes () are a part of blood whose function (along with the coagulation#Coagulation factors, coagulation factors) is to react to bleeding from blood vessel injury by clumping to form a thrombus, blood clot. Platelets have no ...
s,
neutrophil
Neutrophils are a type of phagocytic white blood cell and part of innate immunity. More specifically, they form the most abundant type of granulocytes and make up 40% to 70% of all white blood cells in humans. Their functions vary in differe ...
s,
macrophage
Macrophages (; abbreviated MPhi, φ, MΦ or MP) are a type of white blood cell of the innate immune system that engulf and digest pathogens, such as cancer cells, microbes, cellular debris and foreign substances, which do not have proteins that ...
s, and
dendritic cell
A dendritic cell (DC) is an antigen-presenting cell (also known as an ''accessory cell'') of the mammalian immune system. A DC's main function is to process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system ...
s (DCs). On platelets, it is known to aid in the internalization of IgG-
opsonized ''
Escherichia coli
''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...
'', and it is more generally implicated in mediating bacterial-activated platelet responses.
CD32A also plays an important role in platelet activation, adhesion, and aggregation in response to injured blood vessels.
When bound to an IgG immune complex, the cytosolic ITAM can promote
phagocytic activity and
cytokine secretion in neutrophils and macrophages.
CD32A is known to aid in the activation of
clathrin coat-mediated endocytosis on various cell types. On DCs, CD32A plays an important role in maturation and the upregulation of
costimulatory molecules on the cell surface, strengthening the DC's ability to
present antigen to T cells. CD32A activation is necessary and sufficient to produce T cell anti-tumor cellular immunity. CD32A is also linked to
autoimmunity
In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an " autoimmune disease ...
; for example, the production of antibodies against
platelet factor 4
Platelet factor 4 (PF4) is a small cytokine belonging to the CXC chemokine family that is also known as chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 4 (CXCL4) . This chemokine is released from alpha-granules of activated platelets during platelet aggregation ...
(PF4) bound to CD32A is linked to the development of
heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is the development of thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count), due to the administration of various forms of heparin, an anticoagulant. HIT predisposes to thrombosis (the abnormal formation of blood clots in ...
.
CD32A is also found on
Langerhans cells,
mast cell
A mast cell (also known as a mastocyte or a labrocyte) is a resident cell of connective tissue that contains many granules rich in histamine and heparin. Specifically, it is a type of granulocyte derived from the myeloid stem cell that is a p ...
s,
basophil
Basophils are a type of white blood cell
White blood cells (scientific name leukocytes), also called immune cells or immunocytes, are cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and f ...
s,
eosinophil
Eosinophils, sometimes called eosinophiles or, less commonly, acidophils, are a variety of white blood cells and one of the immune system components responsible for combating multicellular parasites and certain infections in vertebrates. Along wi ...
s,
monocyte
Monocytes are a type of leukocyte or white blood cell. They are the largest type of leukocyte in blood and can differentiate into macrophages and monocyte-derived dendritic cells. As a part of the vertebrate innate immune system monocytes also ...
s,
megakaryocyte
A megakaryocyte () is a large bone marrow cell with a lobation, lobated nucleus that produces blood platelets (thrombocytes), which are necessary for normal blood coagulation, clotting. In humans, megakaryocytes usually account for 1 out of 10,00 ...
s, and a subpopulation of activated
CD4+ T cells
The T helper cells (Th cells), also known as CD4+ cells or CD4-positive cells, are a type of T cell that play an important role in the adaptive immune system. They aid the activity of other immune cells by releasing cytokines. They are considere ...
. CD32A is unique to primates.
''CD32B''
CD32B is an inhibitory surface receptor that is part of a large population of
B cell
B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of the lymphocyte subtype. They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system. B cells produce antibody molecules which may be either secreted or inserted into the plasm ...
co-receptors, which act to modulate signaling.
Activated CD32B has the ability to cross-link with
B cell receptors (BCRs), which increases the threshold for B cell activation and downregulates antibody production in the presence of IgG.
This feedback loop lowers the production of IgG by B cells when there is a surplus of IgG in the body. CD32B is also found on the surface of
follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), which utilize CD32B for the retention and recycling of immune complexes that they later present to B cells.
Thus, CD32B plays an important role in both antibody and
memory immune responses.
The balance between CD32B and its activating counterparts is crucial to appropriate cell function. Having too little CD32B has been associated with dysregulated antibody function, as well as increased antibody-dependent inflammatory cell responses.
Some individuals inheriting mutated, inactivate CD32B genes have a reduced risk of contracting malaria; this is attributed to an enhancement of FcR-dependent phagocytic functions.
CD32B imbalance is also associated with autoimmunity. CD32B-deficient mice have been found to be more susceptible to immune-complex-mediated autoimmunity. Likewise,
systemic lupus erythematosus
Lupus, formally called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Common ...
(SLE) in humans is associated with a decrease in CD32B on the surface of
memory B cell
In immunology, a memory B cell (MBC) is a type of B lymphocyte that forms part of the adaptive immune system. These cells develop within germinal centers of the secondary lymphoid organs. Memory B cells circulate in the blood stream in a quie ...
s. A decrease on dendritic cells is often found in patients with
rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects synovial joint, joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and h ...
.
The therapeutic usage of monoclonal antibodies against CD32B can be effective for inducing cytotoxicity against
B cell lymphoma cells.
CD32B is also found on basophils, neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages.
Non-immune system locations
CD32B can be found on airway
smooth muscle
Smooth muscle is one of the three major types of vertebrate muscle tissue, the others being skeletal and cardiac muscle. It can also be found in invertebrates and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. It is non- striated, so-called bec ...
cells, as well as
liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and
salivary gland
The salivary glands in many vertebrates including mammals are exocrine glands that produce saliva through a system of ducts. Humans have three paired major salivary glands ( parotid, submandibular, and sublingual), as well as hundreds of min ...
epithelial cells.
''CD32C''
CD32C is expressed in ~20% of the human population, and is not well-understood.
It can be found on B cells and
natural killer
Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are par ...
(NK) cells. When expressed, CD32C plays an important role in the activation of
antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity (ADCC).
Animal studies have linked CD32C to augmentation of pathological inflammatory responses.
See also
*
FCGR2A
*
FCGR2B
Fc fragment of IgG receptor IIb (coded by FCGR2B gene) is a low affinity inhibitory receptor for the Fc region of immunoglobulin gamma ( IgG). FCGR2B participates in the phagocytosis of immune complexes and in the regulation of antibody producti ...
*
FCGR2C
*
Fc-gamma receptors
References
External links
*
{{Immune receptors
Clusters of differentiation
Fc receptors