title: An extended family of Fc receptor relatives.
abstract: A surprising number of Fc receptor (FcR) relatives have been recognized recently with the potential capacity to modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. The six human FcR homologs (FcRH1-6), which belong to a phylogenetically conserved gene family, have variable numbers of extracellular immunoglobulin domains of five different subtypes. FcRH immunoregulatory potential is implicated by the presence of consensus tyrosine-based activation or inhibition motifs in their cytoplasmic tails. All but one of these new receptors, FcRH6, are expressed on B cells at different stages in differentiation. Their ligands, function, and prospective roles as diagnostic B cell markers and therapeutic targets are topics of intense interest.
authors.affiliation: Division of Developmental and Clinical Immunology, University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Randall S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Goetz R A
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Ehrhardt
authors.forename: Chuen-Miin
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Max D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D011961:Receptors, Fc / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011961:Receptors, Fc