We evaluated the hypothesis that serum IgE regulates neutrophil FcεRI expression in the same manner as described for other FcεRI + cells. FcεRI expression by neutrophils of 40 asthma subjects and 20 control subjects did not correlate with serum IgE levels, whereas FcεRI expression by basophils of the same subjects showed a highly significant correlation. The level of FcεRI expression by neutrophils of both asthma and control subjects was approximately 1% of that for basophil FcεRI expression. IgE + neutrophils were minimally detectable, and FcεRI α subunit was not detected in Western blots of neutrophil membranes and cytosol. The neutrophil FcεRI did not support antiIgE stimulated superoxide release or IgE-induced increase in neutrophil survival. We conclude that FcεRI expression by neutrophils of both asthma patients and control individuals is minimal at best and that, if present, neutrophil FcεRI expression, unlike that of other human FcεRI + cells, is not regulated by serum IgE.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.