The chicken leukocyte receptor complex encodes a primordial, activating, high-affinity IgY Fc receptor.

Fc receptors are key players of the immune system that link the fine specificity of immunoglobulins and innate effector responses. Here, we describe a nonmammalian Fcgamma receptor, CHIR-AB1, a member of the leukocyte receptor complex, that binds IgY with high affinity with its single Ig domain. It is expressed on immature and mature B lymphocytes, monocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells and harbors motifs of activating and inhibitory Fc receptors. In the absence of FcepsilonRIgamma, CHIR-AB1 can be expressed on B cells but cross-linking does not induce intracellular calcium release. In contrast, cells expressing CHIR-AB1 and FcepsilonRIgamma are triggered to release intracellular calcium upon stimulation with heat-aggregated IgY. CHIR-AB1 thus represents a primordial Fc receptor that combines features of different mammalian counterparts.