Separation of natural and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity by differential reactivity of human mononuclear cell Fc receptors with IgG.

Nylon wood non-adherent, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells which are reactive with the OKM1 monoclonal antibody could be separated into two subpopulations based on their Fc receptor reactivity with human monomeric IgG (FcR-IgG) using flow cytometry. The majority of natural killer cells was found primarily in the OKM1+ subset with low FcR reactivity. In contrast, effector cells for antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (K cells) were found in subsets with both high and low FcR-IgG reactivity.