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Updated: Aug 6, 2025

Analyzing the Functions of Mast Cells In Vivo Using 'Mast Cell Knock-in' Mice
Published on: May 27, 2015
Mast cells in type 2 skin inflammation: Maintenance and function
Yuki Honda Keith1,2, Gyohei Egawa1, Tetsuya Honda3
1Department of Dermatology, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Abstract:
Mast cells (MCs) are immune cells residing in tissues and playing indispensable roles in maintaining homeostasis and inflammatory states. Skin lesions associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) and type 2 skin inflammation display an increment in MCs, which have both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects. The direct and indirect activations of skin MCs by environmental factors such as Staphylococcus aureus can instigate type 2 skin inflammation in AD with poorly understood mechanisms. Furthermore, both IgE-dependent and -independent degranulation of MCs contribute to pruritus in AD. Conversely, MCs suppress type 2 skin inflammation by promoting Treg expansion through IL-2 secretion in the spleen. Moreover, skin MCs can upregulate gene expression involved in skin barrier function, thus mitigating AD-like inflammation. These functional variances of MCs in AD could stem from differences in experimental systems, their localization, and origins. In this review, we will focus on how MCs are maintained in the skin under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions, and how they are involved in the pathogenesis of type 2 skin inflammation.
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