Mast cell ontogeny: From fetal development to life‐long health and disease

Abstract

This article is part of a series of reviews covering Ontogenic Waves of Immune Cell Development appearing in Volume 315 of Immunological Reviews.

Time- and lineage-resolved transcriptional profiling uncovers gene expression programs and clonal relationships that underlie human T lineage specification

“…Another unexpected finding in our analysis was the early divergence in mast potential from other myeloid cell fates. Mast cells have long been recognized for their central role in allergic reactions and pathogen defence, but their lineage trajectory from HSPC, and their clonal relationship to the T lineage has remained unclear 21,29,[53][54][55][56][57] .…”

“…While mast cells have traditionally been classified as a subset of the myeloid branch 29,[53][54][55][56] , a recent study in mouse suggests that mast fate diverges from neutrophil/monocyte/macrophage fate earlier in haematopoiesis than previously appreciated 21 . This early specification was strongly associated with GATA1 expression 21 .…”

“…Beyond T-cells, mast cells were of particular interest in our dataset. Mast cells contribute to vasodilation, angiogenesis and pathogen defence but also play a key role in allergic responses and asthma 53 . However, because these cells are mainly tissue-resident, they are poorly represented in peripheral blood samples and their ontogeny remains poorly understood 29,[53][54][55][56][57] .…”

“…Mast cells contribute to vasodilation, angiogenesis and pathogen defence but also play a key role in allergic responses and asthma 53 . However, because these cells are mainly tissue-resident, they are poorly represented in peripheral blood samples and their ontogeny remains poorly understood 29,[53][54][55][56][57] . Their high abundance in our in vitro differentiation cultures affords the opportunity to resolve their position in the lineage hierarchy and to explore the gene expression programs that promote their specification from HSPC as the expense of alternate fates.…”

Layered immune system development in mice and humans

“…10,11 The erythromyeloid progenitors (EMPs) that arise as early as E8.25 in the yolk sac also generate mast cells, some of which are maintained in the adult. The contributions from Kobayashi and Yoshimoto 12 and from Chia et al 13 address the origin of mast cell progenitors during this early wave of yolk sac hematopoiesis as well as at later stages of development. In addition to discussing the origins of mast cells in different waves of hematopoiesis, the comprehensive chapter from Chia et al reviews the impact of mast cells on various developmental and pathologic processes.…”