Journal
CURRENT OPINION IN IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 31, Issue -, Pages 1-7Publisher
CURRENT BIOLOGY LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2014.07.004
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Funding
- Japan Science and Technology Agency (Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology)
- Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [26893063, 24390093] Funding Source: KAKEN
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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.
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