title: 4. IgE, mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils.
abstract: IgE, mast cells, basophils, and eosinophils constitute essential elements in allergic inflammation. Allergen-specific IgE, synthesized in response to allergens in the environment and in susceptible individuals, becomes fixed to high-affinity receptors on cellular membranes, especially of mast cells and basophils. If these receptor-bound IgE molecules are aggregated on reexposure to specific allergen, these mast cells and basophils produce mediators that result in the allergic response. Principal among the cells drawn to sites of mediator release is the eosinophil.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/NIH, Building 10, Room 11C205, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-1881, USA.
authors.forename: Calman
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prussin
authors.forename: Dean D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Metcalfe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001491:Basophils / Q000502:physiology*; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000502:physiology*; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D007073:Immunoglobulin E