Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Evidence for Fc receptors on rabbit yolk sac endoderm

Nature volume 268, pages 443–445 (1977)Cite this article

Abstract

APPLICATION of the erythrocyte-antibody rosette technique (EA rosette) to cell cultures of mouse yolk sac membranes has provided evidence of Fc receptors on yolk sac endoderm of this species1. Binding of immunogloibulin (Ig) to Fc receptors forms an integral part of a hypothesis proposed by Brambell2 to account for selective materno–foetal transmission of antibodies. In this hypothesis the receptor protects attached Ig when a transporting endocytotic vesicle (be it in syncytiotrophoblast, yolk sac endoderm, or gut enterocytes, according to the species) contacts proteolytic enzymes after fusion with lysosomes. Little is known about selective transport of antibodies across mouse yolk sac endoderm and it is not clear1 to what extent these results show binding specific for transport of Ig across the endodermal cells, or merely reflect some special mechanism for endocytosing this particular class of proteins. Studies of rabbit yolk sac endoderm have not shown whether specific binding of Ig takes place; thus bovine IgG, which is poorly transported across rabbit yolk sac endoderm3,4, although readily endocytosed5, binds to the same extent as rabbit IgG to membrane components isolated from the cells6. On the other hand, compared with rabbit IgG, relatively little specific binding of bovine IgG was found when these proteins were incubated in vitro with formalin-fixed rabbit yolk sac7. We have now applied the EA rosette technique to rabbit yolk sac endoderm and find Fc receptors which bind both rabbit and human IgG, but not bovine IgG, pointing to their association with selective Ig transport.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Elson, J., Jenkinson, E. J. & Billington, W. D. Nature 255, 412–414 (1975).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Brambell, F. W. R. Transmission of Passive Immunity from Mother to Young (North-Holland, Amsterdam and London, 1970).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hemmings, W. A. Proc. R. Soc. B145, 186–195 (1956).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kulangara, A. C. & Schechtman, A. M. Am. J. Physiol. 203, 1071–1080 (1962).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Wild, A. E. J. Embryol. exp. Morph. 24, 313–330 (1970).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hemmings, W. A. & Williams, E. W. Proc. R. Soc. B187, 209–219 (1974).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Schlamowitz, M. in Maternofoetal Transmission of Immunoglobulins (ed. Hemmings, W. A.) 179–199 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Schlamowitz, M. Immun. Commun. 5, 481–499 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Wild, A. E. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B271, 395–407 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Moxon, L. A., Wild, A. E. & Slade, B. S. Cell Tiss. Res. 171, 175–193 (1976).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Wild, A. E. in Maternofoetal Transmission of Immunoglobulins (ed. Hemmings, W. A.) 155–165 (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Jenkinson, E. J., Billington, W. D. & Elson, J. Clin. exp. Immun. 23, 456–461 (1976).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Matre, R., Tönder, O., Endresen, C. Scand. J. Immun. 4, 741–745 (1975).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. McNabb, T., Koh, T. Y., Dorrington, K. J. & Painter, R. H. J. Immun. 117, 882–888 (1976).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Yasmeen, D., Ellerson, J. R., Dorrington, K. J., & Painter, R. H. J. Immun. 116 518–526 (1976).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Medical and Biological Sciences Building, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK

    A. E. WILD & PAT DAWSON

Authors
  1. A. E. WILD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. PAT DAWSON
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

WILD, A., DAWSON, P. Evidence for Fc receptors on rabbit yolk sac endoderm. Nature 268, 443–445 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/268443a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/268443a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing