Basophils have emerged as a key player in immunity

Abstract

Basophils had long been neglected in immunological studies, because of their paucity and phenotypic similarity with tissue-resident mast cells. However, recent development of analytical tools has cast new light on this neglected minority, and revealed previously unappreciated roles of basophils, distinct from those of mast cells, in various immune responses. Primary function of basophils appears to be the protection against infections with parasites, including ticks and helminths. This is why basophils are evolutionally conserved well in many animal species, albeit a small number. Nevertheless, basophils sometimes exert host-deleterious functions in immunological disorders such as allergy. Here we summarize recent advance in our understanding of basophil ontogeny and their in vivo roles under physiological and pathological conditions.

Vaccination with cyclin-dependent kinase tick antigen confers protection against Ixodes infestation

“…Several classes of tick antigens have been evaluated in animal vaccine trials (Parizi et al, 2011(Parizi et al, , 2012bMaritz-Olivier et al, 2012;Karasuyama and Yamanishi, 2014 (SUB/AKR), two proteins that are involved in signal transduction and innate immune response were described as candidate vaccine antigens capable of controlling infestations with vector arthropods. SUB/AKR are orthologous proteins in ticks and insects that interact with NF-kB and other regulatory proteins.…”

Development of a Modular Assay for Detailed Immunophenotyping of Peripheral Human Whole Blood Samples by Multicolor Flow Cytometry

“…They also lack the expression of a characteristic pan marker and therefore are often not examined in patient blood. However, these cells seem to have a regulatory potential [96] and therefore their characterization could be worthwhile.…”

“…In the past, neutrophils and eosinophils were often overlooked, but recently both cell types became increasingly important as they might carry regulatory potential in various diseases [124,125,126], which also was described for basophils [96]. Their identification has been feasible, as the DIoB assay was established for a direct staining of whole blood samples.…”

New insights into basophil heterogeneity

“…Studies employing newly generated genetically modified mouse strains demonstrated that basophils critically contribute to anti-helminth immunity, allergic inflammation and the pathogenesis of various disorders in models of human disease [3,13–18]. Further, recent discoveries have uncovered previously unrecognized heterogeneity in basophil regulation and function.…”