Isolation of Human Basophils

Transendothelial migration of human basophils.

During allergic reactions, basophils migrate from the blood compartment to inflammatory sites, where they act as effector cells in concert with eosinophils. Because transendothelial migration (TEM) represents an essential step for extravasation of cells, for the first time we have studied basophil TEM using HUVEC. Treatment of HUVEC with IL-1beta significantly enhanced basophil TEM, which was f...

Electron microscopic study of human basophils.

Release of histamine from human basophils.

Human basophils express interleukin-4 receptors.

Interleukin-4 (IL-4), a multipotential lymphokine reputed to play an important role in the regulation of immune responses, interacts with a variety of hemopoietic target cells through specific cell surface membrane receptors. The present study was designed to investigate whether human basophils express IL-4 binding sites. For this purpose, basophils were enriched to homogeneity (93% and 98% pur...

Hyperosmolar triggering of histamine release from human basophils.

Idiopathic reactions occurring during the infusion of hyperosmolar solutions, such as radiocontrast dyes, cause a significant number of deaths each year. These reactions are similar to those which follow mediator release during allergen-induced anaphylaxis. In attempting to explain these nonimmunologic reactions, we examined the direct effect of hyperosmolarity on normal human basophils with em...