Synthetic peptides comprising sequences of the human immunoglobulin E heavy chain capable of releasing histamine.

On the basis of previous studies on the structure-activity relationship of model polypeptide histamine liberators, a site within the Fc region of immunoglobulin E antibody molecules has been proposed as that responsible for the direct triggering of target mast cells after antigen challenge. Peptides comprising this region of the epsilon-chain have now been synthesized and shown to induce histamine release from normal rat peritoneal mast cells in a selective manner essentially similar to that mediated by anaphylactic antibody-antigen interaction.