The primary identified function of complement receptor 1 (CR1/CD35) on primate erythrocytes is to bind complementtagged inflammatory particles including microbes and immune complexes. When erythrocytes circulate through liver and spleen, sinusoidal phagocytes remove CR1-adherent particles and erythrocytes return to the circulation. This process of immune adherence clearance is important for host defense and prevention of autoimmunity. CR1 was previously described as clustered in the human erythrocyte membrane, which was thought to be necessary for binding complementopsonized particles. In contrast, we demonstrate that on erythrocytes CR1 is not clustered, but dispersed, and able to bind complement-tagged particles. When fresh erythrocytes are solubilized by nonionic detergent, CR1 partitions to the cytoskeleton fraction. Using a PDZ-peptide array, CR1's cytoplasmic tail, which contains 2 PDZ-motifs, binds PDZ domains 2, 3, and 5 of Fas-associated phosphatase 1 (FAP-1), a scaffolding protein. We show that FAP-1, not previously recognized as an erythroid protein, is expressed on circulating erythrocytes. CR1 and FAP-1 coimmunoprecipitate, which confirms their molecular association. Disperse CR1 on erythrocytes may be advantageous for capturing immune-complexes, while ligation-induced CR1 clustering may prevent ingestion of the erythrocyte during the immune-complex transfer to the macrophages by keeping the opsonic stimulus localized thus preventing phagocyosis. (Blood. 2008;112:3465-3473)
IntroductionEvolution of a closed circulatory system necessitated an efficient means of clearing the intravascular space of inflammatory particles, for example, microbes and immune complexes. To accomplish this task, vertebrates first tag the particles with complement opsonins, predominately C3b, then immobilize the particles by ligation to a cell expressing a complement receptor: process known as immune adherence. 1 Nonprimate vertebrates use platelets and adherent factor H as the complement receptor to capture circulating opsonized particles. 2,3 Once platelets bearing their cargo reach the liver or spleen, resident phagocytes remove the entire platelet-particle complex. 2,3 In contrast, primates use erythrocytes and complement receptor 1 (CR1 or CD35) to ligate complement-tagged inflammatory particles to their membranes. 4,5 When primate erythrocytes with immune-adherent particles move through the liver and spleen, sinusoidal macrophages remove only the immune-adherent particles and allow erythrocytes to return to the circulation. [6][7][8] Previous studies have shown that CR1 on human erythrocytes is constitutively expressed in large clusters, which were thought to be important for promoting multivalent ligand binding. 9,10 These results were based on indirect immunofluorescence methods or binding studies. [9][10][11] In addition, 2 different electron microscopy methods that used a 2-step erythrocyte staining with anti-CR1 Ab and immunogold-labeled secondary Ab reported either 2-15 or 30-75 immunogold particles per CR1 cluste...