Mast Cells in the Skin: Defenders of Integrity or Offenders in Inflammation?

Mast cells (MCs) are best-known as key effector cells of immediate-type allergic reactions that may even culminate in life-threatening anaphylactic shock syndromes. However, strategically positioned at the host-environment interfaces and equipped with a plethora of receptors, MCs also play an import...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of molecular sciences Vol. 22; no. 9; p. 4589
Main Authors Voss, Martin, Kotrba, Johanna, Gaffal, Evelyn, Katsoulis-Dimitriou, Konstantinos, Dudeck, Anne
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 27.04.2021
MDPI
Subjects
Adaptive immunity
Allergens
Allergic reactions
Anaphylaxis
Angiogenesis
Antigens
Chemokines
Communication
Cytokines
Effector cells
Gene expression
Histamine
Homeostasis
host defense
Hypersensitivity
Immunoglobulin E
Inflammation
Inflammatory diseases
inflammatory skin disorders
innate immunity
Interfaces
Mast cells
Pathogens
Review
Secretory vesicles
Skin
Skin diseases
Tumor necrosis factor-TNF
Vascular endothelial growth factor
inflammatory skin disorders
innate immunity
mast cells
host defense
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:Mast cells (MCs) are best-known as key effector cells of immediate-type allergic reactions that may even culminate in life-threatening anaphylactic shock syndromes. However, strategically positioned at the host-environment interfaces and equipped with a plethora of receptors, MCs also play an important role in the first-line defense against pathogens. Their main characteristic, the huge amount of preformed proinflammatory mediators embedded in secretory granules, allows for a rapid response and initiation of further immune effector cell recruitment. The same mechanism, however, may account for detrimental overshooting responses. MCs are not only detrimental in MC-driven diseases but also responsible for disease exacerbation in other inflammatory disorders. Focusing on the skin as the largest immune organ, we herein review both beneficial and detrimental functions of skin MCs, from skin barrier integrity via host defense mechanisms to MC-driven inflammatory skin disorders. Moreover, we emphasize the importance of IgE-independent pathways of MC activation and their role in sustained chronic skin inflammation and disease exacerbation.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-3
content type line 23
ObjectType-Review-1
These authors contributed equally to this paper.
ISSN:1422-0067
1661-6596
1422-0067
DOI:10.3390/ijms22094589