Focussing on the molecular mechanisms that govern mast cell and basophil cell biology and function, this book also provides a comprehensive summary of the field of signal transduction, giving insights into areas that have therapeutic potential. It gives detailed insights into mast cell and basophil growth and development, their activation by allergens, including details of receptor activation and downstream events, and the regulators of morphology and degranulation. The metabolic pathways involved in prostaglandin and leukotriene production are discussed as is the role of transcription factors in mast cell growth and cytokine production. Written by leaders in the field, this volume will provide readers with an up-to-date account of a topic whose rapid progress makes conventional information gathering difficult.

Mast Cells and Basophils will be essential reading for immunologists, biochemists and medical researchers. Detailed chapters cover all aspects of mast cell and basophil research, from cell development, proteases, histamine, cysteinyl leukotrienes, physiology and pathology to the role of these cells in health and disease. Chapters also discuss the clinical implications of histamine receptor antagonists.

The high affinity IgE receptor (FceRI) plays a central role in allergic diseases including asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis, food and drug allergy. Manipulating the function of this receptor is important for controlling the onset of allergic diseases. Written by leading scientists in the field, this book is the first comprehensive monograph to cover various aspects of FceRI structure, signal transduction and function. Thus, the book is valuable for researchers/students working on FceRI and on other receptors. In addition, clinicians who are concerned with broadening their knowledge of the FceRI role in allergic diseases will find this book useful.

In this book, the editors have focused on the roles of mast cells in allergic diseases and discuss the future direction of discovering drugs. Another implication of this book is to understand mast cells at the system level. System biology is a research category to understand biology at the system level by examining the structure and dynamics of cellular and organismal functions, rather than the characteristics of isolated parts of a cell or organism.

The editors of Mast Cell Biology, Drs. Gilfillan and Metcalfe, have enlisted an outstanding group of investigators to discuss the emerging concepts in mast cell biology with respect to development of these cells, their homeostasis, their activation, as well as their roles in maintaining health on the one hand and on the other, their participation in disease.