SUMMARYThe presentation of extremely low doses of antigen to T cells is enhanced by immunoglobulin E (IgE)-dependent antigen focusing to CD23, the low-af®nity receptor for IgE, expressed on activated B cells. CD23 contains a C-type lectin domain in its extracellular sequence and a targeting signal for coated pits, required for endocytosis, in its cytoplasmic sequence. CD23 is non-covalently associated with the major histocompatibility complex class II antigen, human leucocyte antigen HLA-DR, on the surface of human B cells, but the fate of this complex following endocytosis is unknown. To answer this question we have labelled these proteins on the surface of RPMI 8866 B cells and traced their route through the cytoplasm. Endocytosis mediated by anti-CD23 antibodies (BU38 and MHM6) led to the loss of CD23 from the cells. Endocytosis mediated by an antibody to HLA-DR (CR3/43) or an antigen±IgE complex (NP-BSA±anti-NP IgE), however, led to recycling of the HLA-DR±CD23 complex to the cell surface on a time scale (3±6 hr) consistent with the recycling of HLA-DR in antigen presentation. Along the latter pathway CD23 label was observed in cytoplasmic organelles that resembled the`compartments for peptide loading' or`class II vesicles' described by previous authors. Two features of the recycling process may contribute to the ef®ciency of antigen presentation. Peptide exchange may be facilitated by the proximity of HLA-DR and antigen in peptide loading compartments of the endosomal network. The return of CD23 with HLA-DR to the cell surface may then help to stabilize speci®c B-cell±T-cell interactions, contributing to T-cell activation.