In vitro Synthesis of IgE by Human Peripheral Blood Leucocytes

Abstract
The assessment of IgE production in cultures of T- and B-cells from peripheral blood is proving a useful tool to probe IgE immunoregulation in human atopies. The present study contrasts secretion and synthesis as indices of IgE production, and demonstrates that these measures yield comparable data upon the magnitude and direction of regulatory T-cell effects (help vs. suppression) in severe atopies. The majority of peripheral blood B-cell samples from the atopies in this study exhibited spontaneous IgE synthesis and secretion, and in vitro T-cell help and suppression were observed with equal frequency within the sample population. Repeated testing of individual atopies indicated that the direction of T-cell effects remained stable in some (but not all) atopies over periods as long as 3 years.