How immune cells use IgG gloves to catch and show invaders to T cells
Fc Gamma Receptors and Their Role in Antigen Uptake, Presentation, and T Cell Activation
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Immune cells wear special gloves (FcγRs) that grab germs covered in IgG antibodies. These gloves pull the germs inside, break them up, and show pieces to T cells so they can attack. One glove (FcγRIIB) is a weak grabber that stops overreaction, and if it breaks, the body attacks itself (like in lupus).
Surprising Findings
FcγRIIB doesn’t just block activation—it still internalizes antigens but needs 30x more to trigger the same T cell response as activating receptors.
Most people assume inhibitory receptors just block binding. But this one actively pulls in germs—it just fails to turn on the immune system unless overwhelmed.
Practical Takeaways
If you have an autoimmune condition, ask your doctor if genetic testing for FcγRIIA R131 or FcγRIIB T232 variants could help explain your disease profile or predict IVIg response.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Immune cells wear special gloves (FcγRs) that grab germs covered in IgG antibodies. These gloves pull the germs inside, break them up, and show pieces to T cells so they can attack. One glove (FcγRIIB) is a weak grabber that stops overreaction, and if it breaks, the body attacks itself (like in lupus).
Surprising Findings
FcγRIIB doesn’t just block activation—it still internalizes antigens but needs 30x more to trigger the same T cell response as activating receptors.
Most people assume inhibitory receptors just block binding. But this one actively pulls in germs—it just fails to turn on the immune system unless overwhelmed.
Practical Takeaways
If you have an autoimmune condition, ask your doctor if genetic testing for FcγRIIA R131 or FcγRIIB T232 variants could help explain your disease profile or predict IVIg response.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Immunology
Year
2020
Authors
F. Junker, J. Gordon, O. Qureshi
Related Content
Claims (10)
A special receptor (FcRn) saves antibodies from being destroyed inside cells and helps shuttle them — along with any germs they’re attached to — to the right place to be shown to immune cells.
When antibodies stick to germs and bind to certain receptors on immune cells, the cell swallows the whole thing into a bag that goes to a trash compactor (lysosome) to break it down for display.
Certain receptors on immune cells grab onto antibodies attached to germs, helping the cells swallow them up so they can be broken down and shown to other immune cells.
When antibodies tag a germ, immune cells that show antigens to killer T cells do a much better job of it than if the germ was just floating around without tags.
A genetic glitch in one inhibitory receptor (FcγRIIB) stops it from working properly, so the immune system can’t calm down — leading to attacks on the body’s own tissues.