Mast cells drive IgE-mediated disease but might be bystanders in many other inflammatory and neoplastic conditions.
Mast cells (MCs) are capable of executing powerful inflammatory response programs triggered by surface IgE cross-linking or through pattern recognition receptors. The question of how MCs contribute to human disease has been intensely investigated and stimulated much controversy. Correlative evidence comes from human studies, pointing to pathogenetic or protective MC functions in patients with atopic conditions, autoimmune disorders, type 2 diabetes, chronic urticaria, mastocytosis, and cancer. Experiments in MC-deficient mice underpinned key roles for MCs in patients with IgE-mediated allergic conditions. Important pathogenetic MC contributions to other inflammatory and neoplastic conditions were suggested by studies in traditional KIT mutant MC-deficient mouse strains. However, many of these findings were not reproduced in more recently developed improved mouse models of MC deficiency, largely ruling out roles for MCs in mouse models for autoimmune disease, diabetes, and cancer. We discuss limitations of studies in mice and human subjects and provide suggestions for how they can be overcome, such as through the development of specific and selective MC-targeted treatments.
['Maurer|Marcus|M|', 'Taube|Christian|C|', 'Schröder|Nicolas W J|NWJ|', 'Ebmeyer|Jörg|J|', 'Siebenhaar|Frank|F|', 'Geldmacher|Astrid|A|', 'Schubert|Nadja|N|', 'Roers|Axel|A|']
D000818:Animals D053818:Chymases D005260:Female D006801:Humans D007073:Immunoglobulin E D007239:Infections D007249:Inflammation D008213:Lymphocyte Activation D008407:Mast Cells D009369:Neoplasms D011247:Pregnancy D017455:Receptors, IgE D018418:Th2 Cells D051195:Toll-Like Receptor 2 D059016:Tumor Microenvironment D014947:Wounds and Injuries
Mast cells inflammation pathogenesis