BACKGROUND Colonization by Aspergillus fumigatus in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) can cause A fumigatus sensitization and/or allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), which affects pulmonary function and clinical outcomes. Recent studies show that specific allergens upregulate the surface-expressed basophil marker CD203c in sensitized subjects, a response that can be readily measured...

OBJECTIVE Various immunological strategies for tolerance induction against allogeneic tissue grafts (allografts) have been tested in islet transplant recipients; for example, T cell activating co-stimulatory pathway blockade has been shown to prolong islet allograft survival. However, little is known about whether infiltrating inflammatory cells (e.g., basophils) affect islet allograft fates be...

INTRODUCTION The impact of processing on the allergenicity of peanut (Arachis hypogaea) proteins has traditionally been studied using immunoglobulin (Ig) E binding assay. However, as this technique does not assess the potential of an allergen to trigger basophils and mast cells, studies based on it can hardly be considered complete. We evaluated the effect of processing on peanut allergenicity ...

The aim of this study was to investigation on effects of in ovo administration of ghrelin on leukocytes count and heterophil/ lymphocyte (H/L) ratio in hatched chicks. 250 fertile eggs were divided to 5 groups; control or group 1 (without injection), group 2 (in ovo injected with 50 ng ghrelin at day 5), group 3 (in ovo injected with 100 ng ghrelin at day 5), group 4 (in ovo injected with 50 ng...

Basophils and eosinophils play important roles in various host defense mechanisms but also act as harmful effectors in allergic disorders. We generated novel basophil- and eosinophil-depletion mouse models by introducing the human diphtheria toxin (DT) receptor gene under the control of the mouse CD203c and the eosinophil peroxidase promoter, respectively, to study the critical roles of these c...

1. Arterial and venous whole blood and plasma histamine concentrations and eosinophil and basophil counts were determined in five patients with acute severe asthma who had not previously received steroid therapy, in five who had been maintained on steroid therapy and in a control group of nine patients with acute non-respiratory illnesses. 2. No significant arteriovenous differences were observ...

NK cells are innate immune lymphocytes and play a key role in both innate and adaptive immunity. Their pivotal functions in vivo have been illustrated in mice by means of their ablation with NK cell-depleting Abs, particularly anti-asialo GM1 (ASGM1). In this study, we show that the whole population of basophils constitutively expresses ASGM1 as well as CD49b (DX5) as does the NK cell populatio...

BACKGROUND Synthetic contiguous overlapping peptides (COPs) may represent an alternative to allergen extracts or recombinant allergens for allergen specific immunotherapy. In combination, COPs encompass the entire allergen sequence, providing all potential T cell epitopes, while preventing IgE conformational epitopes of the native allergen. METHODS Individual COPs were derived from the sequen...

About 30% of cases of the autosomal recessive immunodeficiency disorder hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis are believed to be caused by inactivating mutations of the perforin gene. We expressed perforin in rat basophil leukemia cells to define the basis of perforin dysfunction associated with two mutations, R225W and G429E, inherited by a compound heterozygote patient. Whereas RBL cells express...

Basophils play a key role in the development and effector phases of type 2 immune responses in both allergic diseases and helminth infections. This study shows that basophils become less responsive to IgE-mediated stimulation when mice are chronically infected with Litomosoides sigmodontis, a filarial nematode, and Schistosoma mansoni, a blood fluke. Although excretory/secretory products from m...