"Allergic breakthrough" after antigen sensitization: height of IgE synthesis is temporally related to diurnal variation in endogenous steroid production.

Mice of the SJL strain normally display the low IgE responder phenotype. In the course of extensive studies on IgE responses with this strain of mice, it because apparent that the magnitudes of IgE antibody synthesis by SJL mice varied after antigen sensitization either alone or in conjunction with exposure to optimal enhancing doses of whole body irradiation. Analysis of the basis for this variability revealed that SJL respond to antigen sensitization by displaying cyclical IgE response curves determined by the time of day the sensitization is carried out. Moreover, when these low responders are converted to the high responder phenotype by low dose irradiation, the time of irradiation determines the magnitude of the IgE response obtained, whereas the time of antigen challenge determines the potential for generating a good response. The diurnal curve of IgE responses in both unirradiated and irradiation-enhanced low responder mice appears to be determined by normal variations in levels of endogenous corticosteroids, as indicated by the correlation between the normal diurnal curve of endogenous steroid production with the cyclical pattern of IgE responses. This apparent effect of endogenous steroid production on IgE antibody synthesis is supported by experiments demonstrating that the normal IgE pattern in both unirradiated and irradiated mice can be perturbed by administration of cortisone at the proper time of day. These results indicate that IgE antibody synthesis displays unique sensitivity to fluctuations in plasma steroid levels and may have significant implications for the role of steroids in the pathogenesis and management of allergic diseases.