Interleukin-21 stimulates B-cell immunoglobulin E synthesis in human beings concomitantly with activation-induced cytidine deaminase expression and differentiation into plasma cells.

Interleukin (IL)-21 downregulates immunoglobulin E (IgE) production in murine systems by inhibiting germline epsilon transcription in IL-4-stimulated B cells. We here sought to clarify the function of IL-21 in human B-cell IgE synthesis. IL-21 dramatically enhanced IgE production by human mononuclear cells, or purified total, naive, or memory B cells in the presence of IL-4 plus anti-CD40 mAb cross-linked with CD32-transfectants, and the production was strengthened with further addition of IL-10. It was concomitant to the enhancement of activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) mRNA expression, but no increase of germline epsilon transcription. We also observed that IL-21 promoted B-cell differentiation into plasma cells with increase of B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein-1 (Blimp-1), but not X-box binding protein 1 (XBP-1), which was further accentuated by co-stimulation with IL-4 plus CD40 signaling. Thus, IL-21 is a strong inducer of IgE production in human beings concomitantly with AID expression and the differentiation into plasma cells. Our data suggest that IL-21 plays an important role in occurrence and the treatment of allergic disorders.