Regulator soluble factors of human IgE synthesis. I. Production and isolation

The system of IgE response undoubtedly has a special interest, given the role of this immunoglobulin on the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. In the last few years the existence of a regulator mechanism that maintains the synthesis of IgE in low but effective levels has been confirmed. This mechanism consists in the equilibrium between the actions of suppressors and enhancers. These two soluble factors present in the serum and capable of suppressing and enhancing IgE response in control rats have been identified; both have a highly selective activity on IgE, exerting their effect in an antigen-independent form and require specie-specificity. Motivated by these findings, we have applied this experimental system used in rats to humans. Healthy controls were selected as low responders of IgE, atopics as high responders, and asthmatic pollinosis considered as the prototype of allergic disease mediated by IgE. After obtaining the factors mentioned by means of a bi-directional mixed culture in a pool of lymphocytes, we proceeded to their isolation by affinity chromatography in Con-A Sepharose columns. The glycoproteins obtained were afterwards submitted to different techniques of characterization: immunoelectrophoresis in polycrilamide gel, chromatography technique, etc.