Mast cells are highly versatile in terms of their mode of activation by a host of stimuli and their ability to flexibly release a plethora of biologically highly active mediators. Within the immune system, mast cells can best be designated as an active nexus interlinking innate and adaptive immunity. Here we try to draw an arc from initiation of acute inflammatory reactions to microbial pathogens to development of adaptive immunity and allergies. This multifaceted nature of mast cells is made possible by interaction with multiple cell types of immunologic and nonimmunologic origin. Examples for the former include neutrophils, eosinophils, T cells, and professional antigenpresenting cells. These interactions allow mast cells to orchestrate inflammatory innate reactions and complex adaptive immunity, including the pathogenesis of allergies. Important partners of nonimmunologic origin include cells of the sensory neuronal system. The intimate association between mast cells and sensory nerve fibers allows bidirectional communication, leading to neurogenic inflammation. Evidence is accumulating that this mast cell/nerve crosstalk is of pathophysiologic relevance in patients with allergic diseases, such as asthma.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.