Cross-linking of the high affinity Fc receptor for human immunoglobulin G1 triggers transient activation of NADPH oxidase activity. Continuous oxidase activation requires continuous de novo receptor cross-linking.

Cross-linking of the high affinity Fc receptor for human immunoglobulin G1 (Fc gamma RI) on U937 cells triggered superoxide anion (O-2) release. This was accomplished by the binding of an Fc gamma RI-specific monoclonal antibody, mAb 32, followed by cross-linking of the mAb on the cell with anti-mouse IgG F(ab')2 by Fc gamma RI-specific mAbs 32 and 22 used as an equimolar mixture or by Fc gamma RI-specific mAb 197 (a murine IgG2a and thus a multivalent ligand for Fc gamma RI) alone. At subsaturating concentrations of the Fc gamma RI-cross-linking ligands, O2- generation was continuous over relatively long intervals. However, saturating concentrations triggered an often substantial but always transient O2- burst. This transient burst of oxidase activity ceased with maximal ligand accumulation on the cell. Cells in which oxidase activity had ceased could be restimulated using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate or aggregated human IgG1, indicating that cessation of O2- generation was not due to a generalized exhaustion or inhibition of the NADPH oxidase pathway. Cells incubated in subsaturating concentrations of cross-linking antibodies continued to release O2- until binding of the ligand ceased. In addition, the rates of O2- production and ligand accumulation were the same. Thus, continuous O2- production appeared to be dependent upon continuous de novo formation of cross-linked and activated Fc gamma RI. Furthermore, the mol of O2- released in response to Fc gamma RI cross-linking by the multivalent ligand mAb 197 were directly proportional to the mol of mAb bound over a range of saturating and subsaturating concentrations. This evidence suggests a quantal relationship between each Fc gamma RI activated (cross-linked) and the resultant oxidase activity and supports a "rate" model for the activation of this response. Thus, each Fc gamma RI entering the pool of activated receptors probably makes a unitary contribution to the signal. An additional finding showed that cross-linked Fc gamma RI became associated with the cell cytoskeleton and that this association was also transient. Dissociation of Fc gamma RI from its cytoskeletal attachment occurred well after cessation of O2- production.