Cutting edge: histamine is required for IL-4-driven eosinophilic allergic responses.

Human recombinant histamine-releasing factor activates human eosinophils and the eosinophilic cell line, AML14-3D10.

The human recombinant histamine-releasing factor (HrHRF) was previously shown to induce histamine release from human basophils from a subset of donors. The ability of HrHRF to directly induce histamine release from only certain basophils was thought to involve interaction between HrHRF and a particular kind of IgE, termed IgE(+), on the surface of these cells. Recent studies disproved the hypot...

The histamine H4 receptor mediates allergic airway inflammation by regulating the activation of CD4+ T cells.

Histamine is an important inflammatory mediator that is released in airways during an asthmatic response. However, current antihistamine drugs are not effective in controlling the disease. The discovery of the histamine H4 receptor (H4R) prompted us to reinvestigate the role of histamine in pulmonary allergic responses. H4R-deficient mice and mice treated with H4R antagonists exhibited decrease...

A GM-CSF/IL-33 Pathway Facilitates Allergic Airway Responses to Sub-Threshold House Dust Mite Exposure

Allergic asthma is a chronic immune-inflammatory disease of the airways. Despite aeroallergen exposure being universal, allergic asthma affects only a fraction of individuals. This is likely related, at least in part, to the extent of allergen exposure. Regarding house dust mite (HDM), we previously identified the threshold required to elicit allergic responses in BALB/c mice. Here, we investig...

IL-4 production by allergen-stimulated primary cultures: identification of basophils as the major IL-4-producing cell type.

As a potent inducing agent for IgE production and differentiation factor for allergen-specific Th2 cells, IL-4 is a key regulatory cytokine both in the pathogenesis of allergic disease and in the ongoing allergic response. The assay of in vitro IL-4 production has often been used to compare the allergen responses of T cells isolated from atopic and non-atopic subjects. Because peripheral blood ...

Cutting Edge: Histamine Receptor H4 Activation Positively Regulates In Vivo IL-4 and IFN- Production by Invariant NKT Cells