Expression of nerve growth factor receptors by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells

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Abstract
In the rat, nerve growth factor (NGF) has been shown to affect immune reactivity by binding to cell surface receptors on a subpopulation of splenic mononuclear cells. This binding occurs in a specific and saturable fashion to what appear to be low-affinity (type II) NGF receptors (NGFR). Immunofluorescence studies here showed that NGFR are also present on a proportion of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Equilibrium binding studies demonstrated that the binding of NGF to its receptors on PBMC occurs with a single equilibrium binding constant (mean) of 2.11 × 10−9 M. The number of receptors per cell was determined to be approximately 6.94 × 103 receptors/cell. These results would suggest a role for NGF in the regulation of immune function in man, as well as in animals.