IgE response

Over the last three decades, a good deal of work has focused on the IgE res ponse due to the implication of these antibodies in allergic diseases. IgE antibodies, mediators of immediate hypersensitivity reactions, bind to spec ific high or low affinity receptors which are distributed on cell surfaces throughout the organism. Activation of receptors contributes to the differe nt aspects of allergic inflammation. Regulation of the IgE response is comp lex and involves different factors modulating isotope synthesis, low-affini ty receptor FcERII:CD23 and its soluble portion, and the Th1/Th2 balance. A llergic diseases are characterized by a dysregulated IgE response, probably related to an imbalance favoring: Th2 leading to exaggerated reaction. The advent of anti-IgE treatments can be seen as a notable progress in the man agement of atopic diseases. Their contribution will depend on the exact rol e of the IgE response in inflammatory allergic reactions.