We studied the effect of eotaxin, a novel eosinophil-active CC chemokine with high target cell specificity, on human basophils. Eotaxin induced higher levels of chemotactic response with a lower ED50 compared with RANTES in basophils; half-maximal migration occurred at a concentration of approximately 3 nM. On the other hand, it exerted only a marginal effect on either histamine release or leukotriene C4 generation. In addition, nested PCR amplification experiments revealed the expression of CC CKR3, a putative receptor for eotaxin, on basophils. Since accumulation of both basophils and eosinophils is an important aspect of allergic inflammation, eotaxin potentially plays a pathogenic role in allergic disorders by inducing migration of both of these cell types.