Modulation by balancing activating and inhibitory receptors constitutes an important mechanism for regulating immune responses. Cells that are activated following ligation of receptors bearing immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs (ITAMs) can be negatively regulated by other receptors bearing immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs (ITIMs). Human mast cells (MCs) are the major effector cells of type I hypersensitivity and important participants in a number of disease processes. Antigen-mediated aggregation of IgE bound to its high-affinity receptor on MCs initiates a complex series of biochemical events leading to MC activation. With great detailed description and analysis of several inhibitory receptors on human MCs, a central paradigm of negative regulation of human MC activation by these receptors has emerged. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. 2004;1(6):408-415.
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