The effects of immunoglobulin G2a binding proteins isolated from P388D1 cells on adenylate cyclase of cyc- cells were investigated to explore a potential role of Fc gamma 2a receptor in the activation of the adenylate cyclase system. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) binding proteins obtained from the detergent lysate of P388D1 cells by affinity chromatography on IgG-Sepharose were separated into two fractions (denoted as IgG-B1 and IgG-B2) by Sephadex G-100 gel filtration in the presence of 6 M urea. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed that the major component in the IgG-B1 fraction was a protein of molecular weight near 50 000, whereas the IgG-B2 fraction contained two major components of molecular weight near 25 000 and 17 000. Both IgG-B1 and -B2 proteins can be inserted into liposome consisting of phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Liposomes containing IgG-B1 proteins effectively inhibited EA2a, but not EA2b, rosetting by either S49 or P388D1 cells, suggesting their proper orientation within liposome, whereas IgG-B2-containing liposome failed to do so. Simultaneous fusion of the liposomes containing IgG-B1 and -B2 proteins with guanine nucleotide binding stimulatory (G/F) protein/Fc gamma 2aR-deficient cyc- cells resulted in the formation of the hybrid membrane whose adenylate cyclase responds to immune complex formed with IgG2a-subclass antibody (IC2a) by about a 2.7-fold increase in the activity over the control (hybrid membrane between cyc- cells and liposome containing no protein). The response appeared to be specific, since IC2b failed to stimulate the enzymatic activity of this hybrid membrane. Furthermore, IgG-B1 and -B2 proteins were able to confer their activating effects on the enzyme only in concert, since the fusion of liposomes containing either type of protein alone with cyc- cells did not result in the activation of adenylate cyclase of cyc- membrane. IgG-B1 and -B2 proteins could also confer their activating effects in concert to the enzyme in cholate-solubilized forms. Such activation was dependent on the concentration of IC2a, suppressed by the chelating agent ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, and significantly inhibited by trifluoperazine, suggesting potential involvement of Ca2+ and calmodulin in the activating process.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)