Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1992 Nov 1;176(5):1381-6.
doi: 10.1084/jem.176.5.1381.

Interleukin 4 is localized to and released by human mast cells

P Bradding  1 , I H Feather, P H Howarth, R Mueller, J A Roberts, K Britten, J P Bews, T C Hunt, Y Okayama, C H Heusser, et al.
Affiliations

Interleukin 4 is localized to and released by human mast cells

P Bradding et al. J Exp Med. .

Abstract

Recent attention has focused on the T helper type 2 (Th2) lymphocyte as a source of interleukin 4 (IL-4) in allergic disease. However, Th2 cells themselves require a pulse of IL-4 to initiate this synthesis. Here we provide immunohistochemical evidence of IL-4 localization to human mast cells of the skin and respiratory tract, and demonstrate that immunoglobulin E-dependent stimulation of purified human lung mast cells leads to the rapid release of IL-4 into the extracellular environment. We propose that mast cell activation in an allergic response provides a rapid and local pulse of IL-4 into the local environment essential for the triggering of T lymphocytes into sustained IL-4 production and to initiate inflammatory cell accumulation and activation.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. J Immunol. 1990 Nov 1;145(9):2886-95 - PubMed
    1. J Immunol. 1987 Aug 15;139(4):1142-7 - PubMed
    1. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1991 Apr;143(4 Pt 1):772-7 - PubMed
    1. Cell. 1990 Aug 10;62(3):457-67 - PubMed
    1. J Immunol. 1990 Dec 1;145(11):3796-806 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources