Human mast cells are found in skin and mucosal surfaces and next to blood vessels. They play a sentinel cell role in immunity, recognizing invading pathogens and producing proinflammatory mediators. Mast cells can recruit granulocytes, and monocytes in allergic disease and bacterial infection, but their ability to recruit antiviral effector cells such as natural killer (NK) cells and T cells has not been fully elucidated. To investigate the role of human mast cells in response to virus-associated stimuli, human cord blood-derived mast cells (CBMCs) were stimulated with polyinosinic⅐polycytidylic acid, a double-stranded RNA analog, or infected with the double-stranded RNA virus, reovirus serotype 3 Dearing for 24 hours. CBMCs responded to stimulation with polyinosinic⅐polycytidylic acid by producing a distinct chemokine profile, including CCL4, CXCL8, and CXCL10. CBMCs produced significant amounts of CXCL8 in response to low levels of reovirus infection, while both skin-and lungderived fibroblasts were unresponsive unless higher doses of reovirus were used. Supernatants from CBMCs infected with reovirus induced substantial NK cell chemotaxis that was highly dependent on CXCL8 and CXCR1. These results sug-
IntroductionMast cells are long-lived resident tissue cells found close to blood vessels, and are numerous at sites in close proximity to the external environment such as the skin and airways (reviewed in Galli et al 1 and Metz and Maurer 2 ). From these strategic locations they can quickly recognize and respond to invading pathogens. They are also relatively resistant to ultraviolet (UV) and gamma irradiation. [3][4][5] Upon activation, mast cells produce a wide array of mediators, including granule-associated products, such as histamine, and preformed and de novo synthesized cytokines, chemokines, and lipid mediators. They can activate and recruit effector cells, including eosinophils, 6 neutrophils, 7 and monocytes. 8 Their role in innate immune responses to bacterial infections has been clearly delineated, however their involvement in viral infections is not well understood. Mast cells express Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), which recognizes viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), 9 and they can produce type I interferons when activated through this receptor. 10 Studies examining the permissiveness of mast cells to viruses show that they can be infected by, and respond to, dengue virus, 11,12 HIV, 13,14 and respiratory syncytial virus. 15 Human mast cells produce the chemokines CCL3, CCL4, and CCL5 when infected with dengue virus, 16 and mouse mast cells produce CCL4 and CCL5 when infected with Newcastle disease virus, all of which are known natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell chemoattractants. 17 NK cells are large granular lymphocytes that can kill virally infected cells, and are crucial for the clearance of viruses during infections (reviewed in Lodoen and Lanier 18 ). The chemokines and chemokine receptors necessary for the infiltration of NK cells into virally infected tissues have recently begun to be uncover...