Lack of detectable immunoglobulin E receptor expression on 33 of 34 cell lines with natural killer-like or cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte activity

We recently reported that a cloned murine cell line with "natural killer (NK)-like" cytolytic function and prominent cytoplasmic granules also expressed large numbers of plasma membrane receptors (Fc_ε{lunate}R) which bound mouse immunoglobulin E (IgE) with high affinity (S. J. Galli et al., 1982, Nature (London)298, 288). We have now performed IgE-binding studies with 31 additional cloned murine cell lines exhibiting "NK-like" lytic activity (defined as the ability to kill YAC-1 lymphoma cells) and three antigen-specific cytotoxic-T-cell clones. One of the NK-like clones expressed a small number of Fc_ε{lunate}R ( 3.0 × 10⁴ cell) on one of the two occasions it was tested. None of the other clones, which were derived by several different approaches and which had a variety of surface glycoprotein phenotypes, expressed any detectable specific binding of mouse IgE. By contrast, mast cell clones consistently expressed large numbers of Fc_ε{lunate}R. The expression of large numbers of high-affinity Fc_ε{lunate}R would appear to represent a very uncommon characteristic of NK-like murine cell lines isolated under conditions similar to those described in this report.