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Isolation of Peritoneum-derived Mast Cells and Their Functional Characterization with Ca2+-imaging and Degranulation Assays
Published on: July 4, 2018
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The Mast Cell Antibody-Dependent Degranulatory Synapse
Salvatore Valitutti1,2, Régis Joulia1,2, Eric Espinosa3,4
1INSERM U1043, Centre de physiopathologie de Toulouse Purpan (CPTP), Toulouse, F-31300, France.
Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|March 4, 2017
Summary
Mast cells form antibody-dependent degranulatory synapses (ADDS) when activated by antigens. This process involves polarized degranulation, crucial for inflammatory responses and studied using confocal microscopy.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Mast cells are crucial immune cells involved in inflammatory responses.
- Activation occurs via Fc receptors binding IgE or IgG antibodies.
- Antigen binding triggers polarized degranulation, forming an antibody-dependent degranulatory synapse (ADDS).
Purpose of the Study:
- To detail methods for stimulating mast cells with cell-bound antigens.
- To outline techniques for monitoring ADDS formation.
- To investigate the characteristics of ADDS using confocal microscopy.
Main Methods:
- Mast cell stimulation with specific cell-bound antigens.
- Confocal microscopy for visualizing cell-cell interactions.
- Analysis of polarized degranulation and signaling area formation.
Main Results:
- Successful stimulation of mast cells with cell-bound antigens.
- Visualization and characterization of ADDS formation.
- Demonstration of polarized degranulation towards the target cell.
Conclusions:
- ADDS formation is a key mechanism for mast cell-mediated inflammation.
- Confocal microscopy is effective for studying ADDS.
- Understanding ADDS provides insights into immune cell communication and effector functions.
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