Canine epidermal langerhans cells express α and γ but not β chains of high-affinity IgE receptor

Epidermal Langerhans cells (LC) express a high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI), consisting of two chains (α and γ chains) in humans that allows LC to perform Fc receptor-mediated uptake of allergens. We found that canine LC express α and β chains but not β chain of FcεRI, identical to human but not to mouse LC, which do not express functional FcεRI (only γ chain is expressed). This finding indicates that canine LC have FcεRI-mediated function similar to or identical to human LC, raising the possibility that canine species provides a better model than mouse to understand the pathogenesis of human atopic dermatitis and investigate the therapeutic effect of drugs.