Allergic asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and a cellular infiltrate dominated by eosinophils. Numerous epidemiological studies have related the exacerbation of allergic asthma with an increase in ambient inhalable particulate matter from air pollutants. This is because inhalable particles efficiently deliver airborne allergens deep into the airways, where the...

BACKGROUND For the detection of allergen-specific IgE in sera, solid-phase IgE-binding assays like the CAP test are commonly used. Although such immunochemical methods are very sensitive, they frequently produce false positives. Degranulation of the human IgE receptor (FcεRI)-transfected rat mast cell (RBL) lines seems to be a possible indicator for human IgE, but spontaneous mediator release f...

The protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) Shp2 has been implicated in many immunoreceptor signaling pathways, but its role in immunoreceptor FcεRI signaling, which leads to the activation of mast cells and blood basophils, is still largely undefined. Using Shp2 knockdown RBL-2H3 (RBL) mast cells, we here reported that Shp2 is required for the activation of RBL cells induced by FcεRI. FcεRΙ-evoked ...

Activation of mast cells by aggregation of the high-affinity IgE receptors (FcεRI) initiates signaling events leading to the release of inflammatory and allergic mediators stored in cytoplasmic granules. A key role in this process play changes in concentrations of intracellular Ca(2+) controlled by store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE). Although microtubules are also involved in the process leadin...

Fullerenes are a class of nanomaterials with unique electronic properties that can be harnessed for use in various applications. We have found their biologic function critically depends on the structure of the side chain moieties added to the core carbon cage. A therapeutic candidate termed C70-Tetraglutamate (TGA), previously shown to have potent anti-inflammatory properties, was selected to d...

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP-2) is a recently identified adaptor protein that regulates immune and inflammatory responses through interactions with a variety of signaling and transcriptional molecules. In the current study, we clarified the physiological role of STAP-2 in mast cell function, a key mediator of IgE-associated allergic responses. STAP-2 is constitutively expressed in...

IgE and IgE receptors (FcεRI) are well-known inducers of allergy. We recently found in mice that active systemic anaphylaxis depends on IgG and IgG receptors (FcγRIIIA and FcγRIV) expressed by neutrophils, rather than on IgE and FcεRI expressed by mast cells and basophils. In humans, neutrophils, mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils do not express FcγRIIIA or FcγRIV, but FcγRIIA. We therefore...

Mast cells (MCs) are versatile effector and regulatory cells in various physiologic, immunologic, and pathologic processes. In addition to the well-characterized IgE/FcεRI-mediated degranulation, a variety of biological substances can induce MCs activation and release of their granule content. Sex steroids, mainly estradiol and progesterone, have been demonstrated to elicit MCs activation. Most...