Fc receptors: historical perspectives and a look to the future

Abstract

It is over 20 years since Pareskevas et al. identified specific receptors for immunoglobulins on the surface of cells. These observations were to point the way for the generation of an entire field based on the cellular effector mechanisms induced by humoral immune responses and mediated through the Fc portion of immunoglobulin. The nature of specific receptors was to take some time to characterize biochemically and as biochemical technology improved, and reagents developed, the pace of discovery was rapid. The ensuing decade or so saw a wide range of investigators take an interest in these specific receptors and make observations that indicated the importance of Fc receptors in the uptake of immune complexes and perhaps even the regulation of the immune system. Even soluble forms of Fc receptors, also known as immuno-globulin-binding factors’, were identified. During this time, it was also obvious that a multitude of these receptors existed —at least one receptor for each immunoglobulin class. Over time, subsets of receptors were observed but specific roles difficult to identify with the possible exception of the IgE receptor on mast cells which was to ultimately become the most biochemically studied of all Fc receptors because of its potent pharmacological role in a life-threatening disease process.