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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Basophil Activation Test for Investigation of IgE-Mediated Mechanisms in Drug Hypersensitivity
Published on: September 16, 2011
Chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1alpha activates basophils by means of CXCR4
T Jinquan1, H H Jacobi, C Jing
1Laboratory of Medical Allergology and the Reference Laboratory, Allergy Unit, National University Hospital, and the Department of Medical Physiology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Background:
The CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is predominantly expressed on inactivated naive T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and endothelial cells. CXC chemokine stromal cell-derived factor 1alpha (SDF-1alpha) is the only known ligand for CXCR4. To date, the CXCR4 expression and function of SDF-1alpha in basophils are unknown.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of CXCR4 and functions of SDF-1alpha in basophils and to characterize the role of the CXCR4-SDF-1alpha receptor ligand pair in the allergic inflammation.
Methods:
Basophil purification, flow cytometry, real-time quantitative RT-PCR assay, Northern blotting, intracellular free Ca(2+) change, chemotaxis assay, and histamine release assay were used.
Results:
CXCR4 is abundantly expressed on peripheral blood resting basophils (91%). Likewise, CXCR4 messenger (m)RNA is expressed in resting basophils (3.2 x 10(3) copies per 2 x 10(2) cells). The existence of CXCR4 mRNA was also confirmed in basophils by means of Northern blot analysis. SDF-1alpha induces an increase in intracellular free Ca(2+) in basophils. SDF-1alpha activates basophils to chemotaxis (chemotactic index = 3.8) and histamine release (36% of total content) through CXCR4 on the cells. The chemokines SDF-1alpha, eotaxin, RANTES, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP) 1, and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) 1alpha have been demonstrated at different potencies in induction of chemotaxis (eotaxin > SDF-1alpha > RANTES congruent with MCP-1 >> MIP-1alpha) and histamine release (MCP-1 congruent with SDF-1alpha > eotaxin > RANTES > MIP-1alpha). The optimal concentration seen for SDF-1alpha effects (chemotaxis and histamine release) on basophils was 100 ng/mL.
Conclusion:
These results indicate that the CXCR4-SDF-1alpha receptor ligand pair may be important for the recruitment and activation of the basophils, which is a characteristic effector cell of the allergic inflammation.
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