Secreted M-ficolin anchors onto monocyte transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor 43 and cross talks with plasma C-reactive protein to mediate immune signaling and regulate host defense.

Although transmembrane C-type lectins (CLs) are known to initiate immune signaling, the participation and mechanism of action of soluble CLs have remained enigmatic. In this study, we found that M-ficolin, a conserved soluble CL of monocyte origin, overcomes its lack of membrane-anchor domain by docking constitutively onto a monocyte transmembrane receptor, G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPCR43), to form a pathogen sensor-cum-signal transducer. On encountering microbial invaders, the M-ficolin-GPCR43 complex activates the NF-κB cascade to upregulate IL-8 production. We showed that mild acidosis at the local site of infection induces conformational changes in the M-ficolin molecule, which provokes a strong interaction between the C-reactive protein (CRP) and the M-ficolin-GPCR43 complex. The collaboration among CRP-M-ficolin-GPCR43 under acidosis curtails IL-8 production thus preventing immune overactivation. Therefore, we propose that a soluble CL may become membrane-associated through interaction with a transmembrane protein, whereupon infection collaborates with other plasma protein to transduce the infection signal and regulate host defense. Our finding implies a possible mechanism whereby the host might expand its repertoire of immune recognition-cum-regulation tactics by promiscuous protein networking. Furthermore, our identification of the pH-sensitive interfaces of M-ficolin-CRP provides a powerful template for future design of potential immunomodulators.