title: F4/80: the macrophage-specific adhesion-GPCR and its role in immunoregulation.
abstract: As a macrophage-restricted reagent, the generation and application of the F4/80 mAb has greatly benefited the phenotypic characterization of mouse tissue macrophages for three decades. Following the molecular identification of the F4/80 antigen as an EGF-TM7 member of the adhesion-GPCR family, great interest was ignited to understand its cell type-specific expression pattern as well as its functional role in macrophage biology. Recent studies have shown that the F4/80 gene is regulated by a novel set of transcription factors that recognized a unique promoter sequence. Gene targeting experiments have produced two F4/80 knock out animal models and showed that F4/80 is not required for normal macrophage development. Nevertheless, the F4/80 receptor was found to be necessary for the induction of efferent CD8+ regulatory T cells responsible for peripheral immune tolerance. The identification of cellular ligands for F4/80 and delineation of its signaling pathway remain elusive but are critical to understand the in vivo role of this macrophage-specific adhesion-GPCR.
authors: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, 259 Wen-Hwa Ist Road, Kwei-San, Tao-Yuan, Taiwan. hhlin@mail.cgu.edu.tw
authors: Hsi-Hsien
authors: HH
authors: Lin
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Stacey
authors: Joan
authors: J
authors: Stein-Streilein
authors: Siamon
authors: S
authors: Gordon