Multifaceted roles of basophils in health and disease

Publication date: Available online 14 December 2017
Source:Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
Author(s): Hajime Karasuyama, Kensuke Miyake, Soichiro Yoshikawa, Yoshinori Yamanishi
Until recently, basophils had often been neglected in immunological studies because of their minority status among immune cells, or confused with tissue-resident mast cells due to some phenotypic similarities between them in spite of different anatomical localization. It is now appreciated that basophils and mast cells are distinct cell lineages, and that basophils play important and non-redundant roles distinct from those played by mast cells. On the one hand, basophils contribute beneficially to protective immunity, particularly against parasitic infections. On the other hand, basophils are involved in the development of various disorders, including allergy and autoimmune disease. Basophils interact with other immune cells and non-hematopoietic cells through cell to cell contact or basophil-derived factors such as cytokines and proteases, contributing to the regulation of immune and allergic responses. In this review article, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of basophil pathophysiology in humans and animal models by consolidating research findings reported during the past five years. Further studies on basophils and their products will help identify suitable targets for novel therapeutics in allergy and effective vaccines against parasitic infection.



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