title: New approaches to allergen immunotherapy.
abstract: Allergic diseases are common problems affecting 20% to 30% of the US population. Mast cells and basophils are the primary effector cells mediating allergic inflammation through the triggering of membrane immunoglobulin E receptors (FceRI) with antigen. Allergen immunotherapy is used as one treatment for allergic disease and results in the inhibition of mast cell and basophil responses through unknown mechanisms. In this review, we examine potential mechanisms that could result in blunted human mast cell/basophil functional responses, strategies aimed at using these mechanisms to develop new immunologically based therapies, and recent findings that have broad implications toward our understanding of how mast cells/basophils become desensitized.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine,Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems,1112 East Clay Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA. clkepley@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Christopher L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Kepley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001491:Basophils / Q000276:immunology*; D003888:Desensitization, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000276:immunology; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000276:immunology; D017452:Receptors, IgG / Q000276:immunology; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology; D000072377:Syk Kinase
chemical_list: D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D017452:Receptors, IgG; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C000606896:SYK protein, human; D000072377:Syk Kinase