Abstract :
The high-affinity receptor for IgE, Fcvar epsilonRI, expressed on antigen-presenting cells such as monocytes and Langerhansʹ cells exhibits profound differences to its homologue expressed on mast cells and basophils. The lack of the β chain, the presence of an intracellular pool of preformed α chains, highly variable surface expression, and its function (to provide antigen focusing for T cells) are some of the main issues which have led us to consider the functional role of this receptor in a new light.
