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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Investigating Mast Cell Secretory Granules; from Biosynthesis to Exocytosis
Published on: January 26, 2015
Integrated signalling pathways for mast-cell activation
Alasdair M Gilfillan1, Christine Tkaczyk
1Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 11C206, 10 Center Drive, MSC 1881, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-1881, USA. agilfillan@niaid.nih.gov
Abstract:
Mast-cell activation mediated by the high-affinity receptor for IgE (FcepsilonRI) is considered to be a key event in the allergic inflammatory response. However, in a physiological setting, other receptors, such as KIT, might also markedly influence the release of mediators by mast cells. Recent studies have provided evidence that FcepsilonRI-dependent degranulation is regulated by two complementary signalling pathways, one of which activates phospholipase Cgamma and the other of which activates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, using specific transmembrane and cytosolic adaptor molecules. In this Review, we discuss the evidence for these interacting pathways and describe how the capacity of KIT, and other receptors, to influence FcepsilonRI-dependent mast-cell-mediator release might be a function of the relative abilities of these receptors to activate these alternative pathways.
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