Occurrences, specificities, and functions of ubiquitous antibodies in human serum that are reactive with the Cryptococcus neoformans cell wall.

Previous studies found that normal human serum (NHS) contains an immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody that mediates initiation of the classical complement pathway by nonencapsulated Cryptococcus neoformans. The present study used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with whole nonencapsulated yeast cells as solid-phase antigens to demonstrate the presence of high levels of IgG antibody in each of 11 sera from normal adult donors. The IgG antibodies were of the IgG2 subclass. The antibody activity was blocked completely by treatment of serum with isolated yeast glucan. Treatment of serum with mannan or chitin had no effect on antibody levels. Antibody activity was adsorbed completely by treatment of serum with zymosan particles. Adsorption with intact cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Candida albicans had no effect, suggesting that the glucan on S. cerevisiae or C. albicans is not surface exposed. Assessment of the opsonic requirements for phagocytosis of nonencapsulated cryptococci by monocyte-derived human macrophages (MO-M phi) showed that high levels of phagocytosis occurred when yeast cells were opsonized with NHS. Removal of anti-glucan antibody by adsorption with whole nonencapsulated cryptococci did not diminish opsonic activity. Heat-inactivated serum or anti-glucan antibody affinity purified from NHS lacked opsonic activity. Taken together, these results indicate that phagocytosis of nonencapsulated cryptococci by monocyte-derived human macrophages has an obligatory requirement for opsonic ligands of the complement system, with no contribution by the anti-glucan IgG that is found in NHS.