IgE alone promotes human lung mast cell survival through the autocrine production of IL-6

• Main Authors: Cockerill Sarah, Cruse Glenn, Bradding Peter
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2008-01-01
• Series: BMC Immunology
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2172/9/2

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Mast cells play a key role in asthma and recent evidence indicates that their ongoing activation in this disease is mediated, in part, <it>via </it>IgE in the absence of antigen. In this study we have examined whether IgE alone enhances human lung mast cell (HLMC) survival.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Purified HLMC were cultured for 4 weeks and survival assays then performed over 10 days following cytokine withdrawal in the presence or absence of human myeloma IgE. Quantitative real time RT-PCR was carried out to examine IL-6 mRNA expression and IL-6 protein was measured in HLMC supernatants by ELISA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IgE alone promoted the survival of HLMC in a dose-dependent manner following cytokine withdrawal. IgE-induced survival was eliminated with the addition of neutralising anti-IL-6 antibody but not by the addition of neutralising anti-stem cell factor. IgE sensitisation initiated profound upregulation of IL-6 mRNA in HLMC, and IL-6 concentrations were also raised in the culture supernatants of IgE-exposed cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These data taken together suggest that IgE in the absence of antigen promotes HLMC survival through the autocrine production of IL-6. This provides a further mechanism through which IL-6 and IgE contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma, and through which anti-IgE therapy might achieve its therapeutic effect.</p>