Understanding the genetic regulation of IgE production.
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a key mediator of anti-parasitic and anti-tumour immunity. However it is also a critical component of atopic and autoimmune diseases, and elevated serum IgE levels are a common indicator of immune dysregulation. In this review we survey the literature on genetic associations of elevated IgE in humans and mice. We find that defects in a limited number of pathways explain the majority of gene associations with IgE. Commonly, elevated IgE is associated with defects in Th bias and B cell class switching, severe T cell tolerance defects and defects in immunity at the host-environment interface. These genetic data demonstrate the mechanisms of control over IgE production and the manner in which they can be circumvented.
Altin
John
J
John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra 0200, Australia.
Shen
Chong
C
Liston
Adrian
A
D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice
D007073:Immunoglobulin E