title: IgE responses in mouse and man and the persistence of IgE memory.
abstract: Rapid and robust recall or 'memory' responses are an essential feature of adaptive immunity. They constitute a defense against reinfection by pathogens, yet arguably do more harm than good in allergic disease. Immunoglobulin (Ig)E antibodies mediate the allergic reaction characterized by immediate hypersensitivity, a manifestation of IgE memory. The origin of IgE memory remains obscure, mainly due to the low proportion of IgE-expressing B cells in the total B cell population. The recent development of ultrasensitive methods for tracking these cells in vivo has overcome this obstacle, and their use has revealed unexpected pathways to IgE memory in the mouse. Here, we review these findings and consider their bearing on our understanding of IgE memory and allergic disease in man.
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Cell and Molecular Biophysics and Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK. Electronic address: Hannah.gould@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Hannah J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Gould
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Cell and Molecular Biophysics and Asthma, Allergy and Lung Biology, King's College London, London, SE1 1UL, UK.
authors.forename: Faruk
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ramadani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000915:Antibody Affinity / Q000276:immunology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017578:Immunoglobulin Class Switching; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D051379:Mice; D027041:Somatic Hypermutation, Immunoglobulin
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E
keywords: B cells; IgE; allergy; immunity; memory; plasma cells