title: Classical and alternative pathways of mast cell activation.
abstract: It has long since been recognized that mast cells are critical effectors of anaphylactic reactions, and the existence of these potentially hazardous cells has solely been justified due to their beneficial role in some infections with extracellular parasites. A novel understanding of mast cells as sentinels of the immune system has been made possible by taking advantage of mast cell-deficient mice in order to study the roles of mast cells in vivo and by detailed analyses of mast cell activation in vitro. Collectively, these experiments have revealed a variety of IgE-independent stimuli, which lead to the activation of mast cells as crucial initiators of an inflammatory response. Besides their effector function, a variety of studies reviewed herein point towards important regulatory roles for mast cells, especially regarding their interaction with other cell types.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Immunology, Johannes Gutenberg-University, Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stassen
authors.forename: Lothar
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hültner
authors.forename: Edgar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schmitt
mesh_terms: D000241:Adenosine / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015550:Cell Degranulation / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019332:Endothelin-1 / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000276:immunology*; D007107:Immune System / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000276:immunology; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019332:Endothelin-1; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D000241:Adenosine