Jeffrey V. Ravetch

Bio: Jeffrey V. Ravetch is an academic researcher from Rockefeller University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Antibody & Immune system. The author has an hindex of 110, co-authored 296 publications receiving 54829 citations. Previous affiliations of Jeffrey V. Ravetch include Bristol-Myers Squibb & Kettering University.

Inhibitory Fc receptors modulate in vivo cytotoxicity against tumor targets.

Abstract: Inhibitory receptors have been proposed to modulate the in vivo cytotoxic response against tumor targets for both spontaneous and antibody-dependent pathways. Using a variety of syngenic and xenograft models, we demonstrate here that the inhibitory FcgammaRIIB molecule is a potent regulator of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vivo, modulating the activity of FcgammaRIII on effector cells. Although many mechanisms have been proposed to account for the anti-tumor activities of therapeutic antibodies, including extended half-life, blockade of signaling pathways, activation of apoptosis and effector-cell-mediated cytotoxicity, we show here that engagement of Fcgamma receptors on effector cells is a dominant component of the in vivo activity of antibodies against tumors. Mouse monoclonal antibodies, as well as the humanized, clinically effective therapeutic agents trastuzumab (Herceptin(R)) and rituximab (Rituxan(R)), engaged both activation (FcgammaRIII) and inhibitory (FcgammaRIIB) antibody receptors on myeloid cells, thus modulating their cytotoxic potential. Mice deficient in FcgammaRIIB showed much more antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; in contrast, mice deficient in activating Fc receptors as well as antibodies engineered to disrupt Fc binding to those receptors were unable to arrest tumor growth in vivo. These results demonstrate that Fc-receptor-dependent mechanisms contribute substantially to the action of cytotoxic antibodies against tumors and indicate that an optimal antibody against tumors would bind preferentially to activation Fc receptors and minimally to the inhibitory partner FcgammaRIIB.

Fcγ receptors as regulators of immune responses

Abstract: In addition to their role in binding antigen, antibodies can regulate immune responses through interacting with Fc receptors (FcRs). In recent years, significant progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms that regulate the activity of IgG antibodies in vivo. In this Review, we discuss recent studies addressing the multifaceted roles of FcRs for IgG (FcgammaRs) in the immune system and how this knowledge could be translated into novel therapeutic strategies to treat human autoimmune, infectious or malignant diseases.

Dendritic Cells Induce Peripheral T Cell Unresponsiveness under Steady State Conditions in Vivo

Abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) have the capacity to initiate immune responses, but it has been postulated that they may also be involved in inducing peripheral tolerance. To examine the function of DCs in the steady state we devised an antigen delivery system targeting these specialized antigen presenting cells in vivo using a monoclonal antibody to a DC-restricted endocytic receptor, DEC-205. Our experiments show that this route of antigen delivery to DCs is several orders of magnitude more efficient than free peptide in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in inducing T cell activation and cell division. However, T cells activated by antigen delivered to DCs are not polarized to produce T helper type 1 cytokine interferon γ and the activation response is not sustained. Within 7 d the number of antigen-specific T cells is severely reduced, and the residual T cells become unresponsive to systemic challenge with antigen in CFA. Coinjection of the DC-targeted antigen and anti-CD40 agonistic antibody changes the outcome from tolerance to prolonged T cell activation and immunity. We conclude that in the absence of additional stimuli DCs induce transient antigen-specific T cell activation followed by T cell deletion and unresponsiveness.

IgG Fc Receptors

Abstract: Since the description of the first mouse knockout for an IgG Fc receptor seven years ago, considerable progress has been made in defining the in vivo functions of these receptors in diverse biological systems. The role of activating Fc gamma Rs in providing a critical link between ligands and effector cells in type II and type III inflammation is now well established and has led to a fundamental revision of the significance of these receptors in initiating cellular responses in host defense, in determining the efficacy of therapeutic antibodies, and in pathological autoimmune conditions. Considerable progress has been made in the last two years on the in vivo regulation of these responses, through the appreciation of the importance of balancing activation responses with inhibitory signaling. The inhibitory FcR functions in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance, in regulating the threshold of activation responses, and ultimately in terminating IgG mediated effector stimulation. The consequences of deleting the inhibitory arm of this system are thus manifested in both the afferent and efferent immune responses. The hyperresponsive state that results leads to greatly magnified effector responses by cytotoxic antibodies and immune complexes and can culminate in autoimmunity and autoimmune disease when modified by environmental or genetic factors. Fc gamma Rs offer a paradigm for the biological significance of balancing activation and inhibitory signaling in the expanding family of activation/inhibitory receptor pairs found in the immune system.

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Immunoglobulin G Resulting from Fc Sialylation

Abstract: Immunoglobulin G (IgG) mediates pro- and anti-inflammatory activities through the engagement of its Fc fragment (Fc) with distinct Fcg receptors (FcgRs) One class of Fc-FcgR interactions generates pro-inflammatory effects of immune complexes and cytotoxic antibodies In contrast, therapeutic intravenous gamma globulin and its Fc fragments are anti-inflammatory We show here that these distinct properties of the IgG Fc result from differential sialylation of the Fc core polysaccharide IgG acquires anti-inflammatory properties upon Fc sialylation, which is reduced upon the induction of an antigen-specific immune response This differential sialylation may provide a switch from innate anti-inflammatory activity in the steady state to generating adaptive pro-inflammatory effects upon antigenic challenge

Untangling the ErbB signalling network

Abstract: When epidermal growth factor and its relatives bind the ErbB family of receptors, they trigger a rich network of signalling pathways, culminating in responses ranging from cell division to death, motility to adhesion. The network is often dysregulated in cancer and lends credence to the mantra that molecular understanding yields clinical benefit: over 25,000 women with breast cancer have now been treated with trastuzumab (Herceptin), a recombinant antibody designed to block the receptor ErbB2. Likewise, small-molecule enzyme inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies to ErbB1 are in advanced phases of clinical testing. What can this pathway teach us about translating basic science into clinical use?

Alternative activation of macrophages

Abstract: The classical pathway of interferon-gamma-dependent activation of macrophages by T helper 1 (T(H)1)-type responses is a well-established feature of cellular immunity to infection with intracellular pathogens, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV. The concept of an alternative pathway of macrophage activation by the T(H)2-type cytokines interleukin-4 (IL-4) and IL-13 has gained credence in the past decade, to account for a distinctive macrophage phenotype that is consistent with a different role in humoral immunity and repair. In this review, I assess the evidence in favour of alternative macrophage activation in the light of macrophage heterogeneity, and define its limits and relevance to a range of immune and inflammatory conditions.

Jak-STAT pathways and transcriptional activation in response to IFNs and other extracellular signaling proteins

Abstract: Through the study of transcriptional activation in response to interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), a previously unrecognized direct signal transduction pathway to the nucleus has been uncovered: IFN-receptor interaction at the cell surface leads to the activation of kinases of the Jak family that then phosphorylate substrate proteins called STATs (signal transducers and activators of transcription). The phosphorylated STAT proteins move to the nucleus, bind specific DNA elements, and direct transcription. Recognition of the molecules involved in the IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma pathway has led to discoveries that a number of STAT family members exist and that other polypeptide ligands also use the Jak-STAT molecules in signal transduction.

Cancer immunoediting: from immunosurveillance to tumor escape.

Abstract: The concept that the immune system can recognize and destroy nascent transformed cells was originally embodied in the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis of Burnet and Thomas. This hypothesis was abandoned shortly afterwards because of the absence of strong experimental evidence supporting the concept. New data, however, clearly show the existence of cancer immunosurveillance and also indicate that it may function as a component of a more general process of cancer immunoediting. This process is responsible for both eliminating tumors and sculpting the immunogenic phenotypes of tumors that eventually form in immunocompetent hosts. In this review, we will summarize the historical and experimental basis of cancer immunoediting and discuss its dual roles in promoting host protection against cancer and facilitating tumor escape from immune destruction.