New developments in FcεRI regulation, function and inhibition

The high-affinity Fc receptor for IgE (Fc epsilon RI), a multimeric immune receptor, is a crucial structure for IgE-mediated allergic reactions. In recent years, advances have been made in several important areas of the study of Fc epsilon RI. The first area relates to Fc epsilon RI-mediated biological responses that are antigen independent. The second area encompasses the biological relevance of the distinct signalling pathways that are activated by Fc epsilon RI; and the third area relates to the accumulated evidence for the tight control of Fc epsilon RI signalling through a broad array of inhibitory mechanisms, which are being developed into promising therapeutic approaches.