Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 22, 2026
Isolation of Peritoneum-derived Mast Cells and Their Functional Characterization with Ca2+-imaging and Degranulation Assays
Published on: July 4, 2018
Mast cells and sphingosine-1-phosphate underlie prelesional remodeling in a mouse model of eczema
P A Wedman1, A Aladhami1,2, A P Chumanevich1
1Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA.
Background:
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin inflammation that affects children and adults worldwide, but its pathogenesis remains ill-understood.
Methods:
We show that a single application of OVA to mouse skin initiates remodeling and cellular infiltration of the hypodermis measured by a newly developed computer-aided method.
Results:
Importantly, we demonstrate that skin mast cell (MC) activation and local sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are significantly augmented after OVA treatment in mice. Deficiency in sphingosine kinase (SphK)1, the S1P-producing enzyme, or in MC, remarkably mitigates all signs of OVA-mediated remodeling and MC activation. Furthermore, skin S1P levels remain unchanged in MC-deficient mice exposed to OVA. LPS-free OVA does not recapitulate any of the precursor signs of AD, supporting a triggering contribution of LPS in AD that, per se, suffice to activate local MC and elevate skin S1P.
Conclusion:
We describe MC and S1P as novel pathogenic effectors that initiate remodeling in AD prior to any skin lesions and reveal the significance of LPS in OVA used in most studies, thus mimicking natural antigen (Ag) exposure.
