FcεRI, which is composed of α, β, and γ subunits, plays an important role in IgE-mediated allergic responses. TGF-β1 has been reported to suppress FcεRI and stem cell factor receptor c-Kit expression on mast cell surfaces and to suppress mast cell activation induced by cross-linking of FcεRI. However, the molecular mechanism by which these expressions and activation are suppressed by TGF-β1 rem...

BACKGROUND Sanguisorbae Radix (SR) is a well-known herbal medicine used to treat inflammatory disease and skin burns in Asia. In addition, it is used to treat many types of allergic skin diseases, including urticaria, eczema, and allergic dermatitis. SR has been reported to exhibit anti-wrinkle, anti-oxidant, and anti-contact dermatitis bioactivities. METHODS In this study, we investigated th...

Sporadic mast cell neoplasms and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) often have various types of somatic gain-of-function mutations of the c-kit gene which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, KIT. Several types of germline gain-of-function mutations of the c-kit gene have been detected in families with multiple GISTs. All three types of model mice for the familial GISTs with germline c-kit ...

Non-T cell activation linker (NTAL; also called LAB or LAT2) is a transmembrane adaptor protein that is expressed in a subset of hematopoietic cells, including mast cells. There are conflicting reports on the role of NTAL in the high affinity immunoglobulin E receptor (FcεRI) signaling. Studies carried out on mast cells derived from mice with NTAL knock out (KO) and wild type mice suggested tha...

Engagement of the Fcepsilon receptor I (FcepsilonRI) on mast cells and basophils initiates signaling pathways leading to degranulation. Early activation events include tyrosine phosphorylation of two transmembrane adaptor proteins, linker for activation of T cells (LAT) and non-T cell activation linker (NTAL; also called LAB; a product of Wbscr5 gene). Previous studies showed that the secretory...

We recently demonstrated that immunoglobulin E (IgE), in the absence of cross-linking agents, activates signaling pathways in healthy murine bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs) and that this activation enhances BMMC survival, at least in part, via secretion of autocrine-acting cytokines. We report herein that IgE alone also triggers the adhesion of both BMMCs and connective tissue mast cells...

BACKGROUND mast cells play an important role in airway inflammation in asthma. The transient receptor potential melastatin-like 7 (TRPM7) channel is expressed in primary human lung mast cells and plays a critical role for cell survival. This study aimed to investigate the role of TRPM7 on degranulation and release of cytokines in rat bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs). METHODS the express...

Previous studies using mast cell-deficient mice (W/W(v)) revealed that mast cells influence disease onset and severity of experimental allergic/autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the murine model for multiple sclerosis. The mast cell populations of these mice can be restored by transferring bone marrow-derived mast cells (BMMCs). Studies using the W/W(v) reconstitution model have lead to major...

We compared the effects of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells (BMMCs) and mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) on airway inflammation and remodeling and lung mechanics in experimental allergic asthma. C57BL/6 mice were sensitized and challenged with ovalbumin (OVA group). A control group received saline using the same protocol. Twenty-four hours after the last challenge, groups were further rand...

RATIONALE Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) is important for Fc and B-cell receptor-mediated signaling. OBJECTIVE To determine the activity of a specific Syk inhibitor (R406) on mast cell activation in vitro and on the development of allergen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and inflammation in vivo. METHODS AHR and inflammation were induced after 10 d of allergen (ovalbumin [OVA]) expos...