title: Suppression of human IgE antibody forming cell responses by IL-6.
abstract: To study the effects of cytokines on human IgE antibody forming cells (AFCs), log phase U266 myeloma cells (3 x 10(3)/ml), which secrete immunoglobulin E (IgE), were cultured for 0-24 h with and without cytokine or with or without antibodies against various cytokines. The numbers of IgE AFCs were determined in ELISPOT assay. We found that interleukin-6 (IL-6) suppressed (to 95%) whereas anti-IL-6 increased (to 148%) the numbers of IgE AFCs and that both worked in a dose-dependent fashion. IL-4 and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) also suppressed IgE AFC responses in a dose-dependent fashion. However, antibodies to these cytokines had no effect. In contrast, IFN-alpha increased (to fourfold) the numbers of IgE AFCs in a dose-dependent fashion. The data are the first to show a suppressive effect of IL-6 on human IgE responses and may also suggest a role for IL-6 in the treatment of atopic disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn 11203.
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Kleiner
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Auci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chice
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Durkin
mesh_terms: D000921:Antibody-Producing Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000502:physiology; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000502:physiology; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000502:physiology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000502:physiology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D015850:Interleukin-6; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D007371:Interferon-gamma