CD40 signaling induces interleukin-4-independent IgE switching in vivo.

T cell-deficient T cell receptor (TCR) beta-/- x TCR delta-/- knockout mice lack circulating IgE and fail to produce antigen-specific IgE in response to stimulation with T cell-dependent antigens. We show here that these animals are able to produce significant levels of circulating polyclonal IgE when injected with an agonistic anti-mouse CD40 monoclonal antibody. CD40-mediated induction of circulating polyclonal IgE in T cell-deficient mice was only partially reduced when the animals were co-treated with neutralizing anti-interleukin-4 (IL-4) antibody. The IL-4 independence of this response was further supported by experiments showing that anti-CD40 antibodies induced circulating IgE when injected into IL-4 knockout mice, and sterile RNA epsilon transcript production when cultured with purified B cells from the same mice. These data strongly suggest that CD40 signaling causes IL-4-independent IgE switching in mice.