IgE Enhances Mouse Mast Cell FcεRI Expression In Vitro and In Vivo: Evidence for a Novel Amplification Mechanism in IgE-dependent Reactions

The binding of immunoglobulin E (IgE) to high affinity IgE receptors (FcεRI) expressed on the surface of mast cells primes these cells to secrete, upon subsequent exposure to specific antigen, a panel of proinflammatory mediators, which includes cytokines that can also have immunoregulatory activities. This IgE- and antigen-specific mast cell activation and mediator production is thought to be critical to the pathogenesis of allergic disorders, such as anaphylaxis and asthma, and also contributes to host defense against parasites. We now report that exposure to IgE results in a striking (up to 32-fold) upregulation of surface expression of FcεRI on mouse mast cells in vitro or in vivo. Moreover, baseline levels of FcεRI expression on peritoneal mast cells from genetically IgE-deficient (IgE −/−) mice are dramatically reduced (by ∼83%) compared with those on cells from the corresponding normal mice. In vitro studies indicate that the IgE-dependent upregulation of mouse mast cell FcεRI expression has two components: an early cycloheximide-insensitive phase, followed by a later and more sustained component that is highly sensitive to inhibition by cycloheximide. In turn, IgE-dependent