title: The CD19/CR2/TAPA-1 complex of B lymphocytes: linking natural to acquired immunity.
abstract: B lymphocytes must respond to low concentrations of antigen despite having low affinity antigen receptors during the primary immune response. CD19, a B cell-restricted membrane protein of the immunoglobulin superfamily that associates with the antigen receptor complex, may help the B cell meet this requirement. Cross-linking CD19 to membrane immunoglobulin (mIg) lowers, by two orders of magnitude, the number of mIg that must be ligated to activate phospholipase C (PLC) or to induce DNA synthesis. CD19 is coupled, via protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs), to PLC and phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase (PI3' kinase), and it interacts with the Src-type nonreceptor PTK lyn. It also associates with two other membrane proteins, CR2 (complement receptor type 2, CD21), which permits nonimmunologic ligation of CD19, and TAPA-1, a member of the tetraspan family of membrane proteins. CR2 binds fragments of C3 that are covalently attached to glycoconjugates. This indirectly enables CD19 to be cross-linked to mIg after preimmune recognition of an immunogen by the complement system. CR2 also can be ligated by CD23, a lectin-like membrane protein that resides on cells that may present antigen to B cells. TAPA-1 associates with several other membrane proteins on B and T cells, including MHC class II, CD4, and CD8, and it promotes Ca2(+)- and LFA-1-independent homotypic aggregation when ligated directly or indirectly through CD19 or CR2. This may facilitate interaction of the B cell with other cells essential for cellular activation. The formation of this membrane protein complex by representatives of three different protein families helps the B cell resolve its dilemma of combining broad specificity with high sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Wellcome Trust Immunology Unit, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Fearon
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Carter
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018941:Antigens, CD19; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D060225:Tetraspanin 28
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018941:Antigens, CD19; D000944:Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; C554798:CD81 protein, human; C554799:Cd81 protein, mouse; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D017464:Receptors, Complement 3d; D060225:Tetraspanin 28