[Physiopathological role of low affinity IgE receptor (CD23) in hematopoietic cells]

Ligation of the low affinity IgE receptor by specific monoclonal antibodies or multivalent IgE complexes result in the transduction of signals which differ according to the CD23 isotype expressed by the various cell types. In B lymphocytes, it elicits the early activation of phospholipase C through a mechanism involving a G-protein insensitive to Pertussis toxin, followed by a late phase of cAMP accumulation. In monocytes, which express the CD23b isoform, ligation of CD23 was also found to induce a delayed accumulation of cAMP, that was largely dependent on a prior cGMP increase through a mechanism involving the activation of a NO synthase. This pathway, which appears to be exacerbated in allergic diseases, seems to play an important role in the differentiation of cells of the monocytic lineage, their capacity to release proinflammatory mediators and their cytotoxic functions.