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. 2012 Aug 6;3:229. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2012.00229

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Comparison between classical allergen and cytokinergic IgE activation of mast cells. (A) In the classical allergic response, multivalent allergens cross-link IgE-FcεRI complexes on the surface of mast cells to trigger mast cell activation, e.g., mast cell degranulation. (B) In contrast, the binding of highly cytokinergic (HC) IgE to FcεRI activates mast cells in the absence of antigen. Cytoplasmic α, and the β and γ chains of FcεRI have been omitted for simplicity. See Figure 3 and Section “Mechanisms of Cytokinergic Activity” for possible mechanisms for cytokinergic IgE cross-linking of FcεRI complexes.