Primate Monocytes - CD14, CD16 - Ziegler-Heitbrock

Regulation of the expression of fc gamma receptor on circulating neutrophils and monocytes in kawasaki disease

Abstract

To investigate the regulation of Fcgamma receptor (FcgammaR) expression on circulating phagocytes in Kawasaki disease (KD), we analysed the expressions of FcgammaRI, II and III on neutrophils and monocytes in 20 patients with KD, 10 with a bacterial infection (BI), 10 with a viral infection (VI), and 10 healthy controls (HC) using flow cytometric analysis. The KD patients had a significantly higher level of FcgammaRI expression on neutrophils, but not on monocytes, than the BI, VI and HC patients. FcgammaRII expression on neutrophils was significantly higher in KD, BI and VI than HC, but there was no significant difference in FcgammaRII expression among KD, BI and VI. FcgammaRIII expression on neutrophils in KD was significantly lower than in VI and HC, but was higher on monocytes. A kinetic analysis of FcgammaR expression in KD demonstrated the expression of FcgammaRI and II on neutrophils to decline, but no remarkable change was observed in the monocytes, from the subacute phase through the convalescent phase. In addition, FcgammaRIII expression on neutrophils increased, while FcgammaRIII expression on monocytes decreased during the time course of KD. FcgammaR expression in the acute phase of KD is thus characterized by markedly increased expression of FcgammaRI on neutrophils, followed by a subsequent decrease, and decreased expression of FcgammaRIII on neutrophils and increased expression of FcgammaRIII on monocytes followed by a reverse kinetics during the clinical course. These findings are thus considered to reflect the functional up-regulation of neutrophils and monocytes in KD.