Aggregated C-reactive protein binds to human polymorphonuclear leukocytes and potentiates Fc receptor-mediated chemiluminescence

Aggregated C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute phase reactant, binds to and influences the functional activities of human mononuclear leukocytes. Our purpose was to examine the potential interactions between CRP and human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL). Binding of CRP to PMNL was examined by flow cytometry after cell incubation with fluorescein-labeled heat-aggregated CRP (Agg-CRP) or Agg-CRP and fluorescein-conjugated F(ab′)₂ anti-CRP antibodies. It was determined that, at an optimal dose of Agg-CRP (100 μg), ~36% of PMNL were fluorescence positive. This was in contrast to the 70% of monocytes and 8% of lymphocytes that expressed Agg-CRP binding sites. Although less than half of resting PMNL bound Agg-CRP, up to 93% of PMNL activated with 1.0 μg/ml of phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) expressed binding sites for Agg-CRP. Exposure to PMA similarly enhanced the amount of Agg-CRP bound per PMNL as determined by mean channel fluorescence. To evaluate whether Agg-CRP binding to PMNL could induce or modify a biologic response, respiratory burst activity was assessed by measuring luminol-enhanced chemiluminescence. Whereas Agg-CRP alone did not elicit a chemiluminescence response, Agg-CRP synergistically enhanced the chemiluminescence response induced by heat-aggregated IgG (Agg-IgG). Although this enhancing effect of Agg-CRP could be observed at both optimal and suboptimal concentrations of Agg-IgG, no enhancement of PMA or serum-opsonized zymosan-induced CL was detected. These data demonstrate that aggregated CRP binds to and selectively modulates the response of PMNL to Fc receptor-mediated activation.