Fyn tyrosine kinase associated with Fc epsilon RII/CD23: possible multiple roles in lymphocyte activation.

Expression of low-affinity Fc receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RII), which is identical to the lymphocyte differentiation antigen CD23, is associated with activation of lymphoid cells. The mechanism of signal transduction through Fc epsilon RII/CD23 was dissected by transfection of cDNA coding for Fc epsilon RII to the YT human natural killer-like cell line, activation of which was easily detected by the induction of interleukin 2 receptor/p55(Tac). Cross-linking of Fc epsilon RII/CD23 with H107 anti-Fc epsilon RII monoclonal antibody markedly enhanced interleukin 2 receptor/p55 expression on the YT cells transfected with Fc epsilon RII cDNA (YTSER cells). Similar induction of interleukin 2 receptor/p55 by the cross-linking of Fc epsilon RII was observed on an Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-cell line, 3B6, and fresh leukemic cells isolated from a patient with B-cell chronic lymphoblastic leukemia. Thus Fc epsilon RII/CD23 provides activation signals not only in YTSER cells but also in activated B cells. A possible involvement of protein-tyrosine kinase in the Fc epsilon RII-mediated signal transduction was studied. Fc epsilon RII was physically associated with a src family tyrosine kinase p59fyn and not with p56lck, which was also found in YT cells. Recently it was reported that p59fyn was associated with T-cell antigen receptor. Our results collectively suggest the multiple functions of p59fyn that may be implicated in Fc epsilon RII-mediated activation signal in YT cells.