Open Access

REVIEW

Basophils: new players in the cytokine network

Elke Schneider, Nathalie Thieblemont, Maria Leite De Moraes, Michel Dy

CNRS UMR 8147 “Cytokines, Hematopoiesis and Immune Responses”, Faculté de Médecine Université Paris-Descartes, Hôpital Necker, Paris, France

* Corresponding Author: M. Dy,

European Cytokine Network 2010, 21(3), 142-153. https://doi.org/10.1684/ecn.2010.0197

Accepted 08 April 2010;

Abstract

Basophils belong to a myeloid cell population that has been ignored for more than a century,mainly because of its paucity, its lack of specific markers, and the absence of experimental models. Given thatin mice, even the mere existence of basophils was contested, they were alluded to as“histamine-producingcells” or“non-T non-B cells” in initial studies. It is now widely acknowledged that basophils respond to variousIgE-dependent or -independent stimuli, and are engaged in a complex cross talk with a number of immunocom-petent cells (T or B lymphocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, endothelial cells…). Indeed, on the one hand theyare critically involved during the onset, the effector phase and exacerbation of TH2 responses through theircapacity to generate large amounts of cytokines with pro-TH2 functions (IL-4, IL-13 TSLP, IL-25), on the otherhand, they contribute to immunoglobulin synthesis and class switching, angiogenesis, autoimmunity, tumorimmunity and hematopoiesis by producing cytokines such as IL-6, VEGF, GM-CSF and IL-3. Finally, ithas been established that they can present antigens to CD4⁺ or CD8⁺ T cells in an MHC class II- or classI-dependent manner, respectively. Taken together, these activities confer important immunoregulatory functionsupon basophils, both in innate and adaptive immunity.

---

Keywords

---