In vitro synthesis of IgE by human peripheral blood leucocytes. IV. Longitudinal study of regulatory T-cell activity in atopics.

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 atopics. 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 atopics. The majority of peripheral blood B-cell samples from the atopics 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 atopics indicated that the direction of T-cell effects remained stable in some (but not all) atopics over periods as long as 3 years.