Fcγ receptor I- and III-mediated macrophage inflammatory protein 1α induction in primary human and murine microglia

Microglial cell phagocytic receptors may play important roles in the pathogenesis and treatment of several neurological diseases. We studied microglial Fc receptor (FcR) activation with respect to the specific FcγR types involved and the downstream signaling events by using monoclonal antibody (MAb)-coated Cryptococcus neoformans immune complexes as the stimuli and macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) production as the final outcome. C. neoformans complexed with murine immunoglobulin G (IgG) of γ1, γ2a, and γ3, but not γ2b isotype, was effective in inducing MIP-1α in human microglia. Since murine γ2b binds to human FcγRII (but not FcγRI or FcγRIII), these results indicate that FcγRI and/or FcγRIII is involved in MIP-1α production. Consistent with this, an antibody that blocks FcγRII (IV.3) failed to inhibit MIP-1α production, while an antibody that blocks FcγRIII (3G8) did. An anti-C. neoformans MAb, 18B7 (IgG1), but not its F(ab′)₂, induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase phosphorylation, and MIP-1α release was suppressed by the ERK inhibitor U0126. C. neoformans plus 18B7 also induced degradation of I-κBα, and MIP-1α release was suppressed by the antioxidant NF-κB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. To confirm the role of FcR more directly, we isolated microglia from wild-type and various FcR-deficient mice and then challenged them with C. neoformans plus 18B7. While FcγRII-deficient microglia showed little difference from the wild-type microglia, both FcγRI α-chain- and FcγRIII α-chain-deficient microglia produced less MIP-1α, and the common Fc γ-chain-deficient microglia showed no MIP-1α release. Taken together, our results demonstrate a definitive role for FcγRI and FcγRIII in microglial chemokine induction and implicate ERK and NF-κB as the signaling components leading to MIP-1α expression. Our results delineate a new mechanism for microglial activation and may have implications for central nervous system inflammatory diseases.