Increased T epsilon cells in BALB/c mice with an IgE-secreting hybridoma.

Since it has been proposed that T cells with receptors for the Fc portion of IgE (T epsilon) in rats, mice and humans are IgE-specific regulatory cells, it was investigated whether mice with an IgE-secreting hybridoma might be a source of large numbers of T epsilon cells. BALB/c mice with ascitic tumors of the IgE hybridoma B53 (epsilon, kappa, anti-DNP) developed high serum concns of monoclonal IgE which was followed by the appearance of large numbers of Lyt1-2+ L3T4- T epsilon cells. In contrast, mice bearing a non-IgE producing variant of B53 failed to develop T epsilon cells. Mice infused with cell-free ascites fluid (containing high levels of monoclonal IgE) from the IgE-secreting B53 hybridoma developed high serum IgE levels and also developed high numbers of T epsilon cells. Mice infused with cell-free ascites obtained from the non-IgE-secreting variant ENP-1 (containing very low amounts of IgE) did not develop either high serum IgE levels or T epsilon cells. These findings suggest that high serum IgE concns induce large numbers of T cells that express phenotypic markers of suppressor cells and have surface IgE-Fc receptors. These studies extend to IgE the principle that hybridomas and plasmacytomas induce large numbers of immunoregulatory T cells that express Fc receptors specific for the heavy chain class of the secreted monoclonal immunoglobulin. Since T epsilon cells are normally present only in small numbers, their marked increase in mice with IgE-secreting hybridomas identifies a ready source of large numbers of T epsilon cells that can be used to investigate their regulatory properties.