BackgroundIgE-expressing (IgE+) plasma cells (PCs) provide a continuous source of allergen-specific IgE that is central to allergic responses. The extreme sparsity of IgE+ cells in vivo has confined their study almost entirely to mouse models.ObjectiveTo characterize the development pathway of human IgE+ PCs and to determine the ontogeny of human IgE+ PCs.MethodsTo generate human IgE+ cells, we cultured tonsil B cells with IL-4 and anti-CD40. Using FACS and RT-PCR, we examined the phenotype of generated IgE+ cells, the capacity of tonsil B-cell subsets to generate IgE+ PCs and the class switching pathways involved.ResultsWe have identified three phenotypic stages of IgE+ PC development pathway, namely (i) IgE+ germinal centre (GC)-like B cells, (ii) IgE+ PC-like ‘plasmablasts’ and (iii) IgE+ PCs. The same phenotypic stages were also observed for IgG1+ cells. Total tonsil B cells give rise to IgE+ PCs by direct and sequential switching, whereas the isolated GC B-cell fraction, the main source of IgE+ PCs, generates IgE+ PCs by sequential switching. PC differentiation of IgE+ cells is accompanied by the down-regulation of surface expression of the short form of membrane IgE (mIgES), which is homologous to mouse mIgE, and the up-regulation of the long form of mIgE (mIgEL), which is associated with an enhanced B-cell survival and expressed in humans, but not in mice.ConclusionGeneration of IgE+ PCs from tonsil GC B cells occurs mainly via sequential switching from IgG. The mIgEL/mIgES ratio may be implicated in survival of IgE+ B cells during PC differentiation and allergic disease.

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