Mast Cell Biology Section
Description of Research Program
The mast cell is the focus of the Mast Cell Biology Section (MCBS) research effort. This multifunctional inflammatory cell is involved in both innate and acquired immunity and plays a central role in the induction of allergic inflammation. An integrated program investigating mast cell biology includes studies into the growth and differentiation of mast cells, mast-cell signal transduction, and the products generated by mast cells that lead to disease. MCBS emphasizes basic research that may be translated into the clinic, where protocols include studies on the pathogenesis of asthma and systemic mast-cell disorders, including mastocytosis and anaphylaxis. Research efforts have contributed to the identification of mutations in the receptor for stem cell factor, understanding signaling through high affinity IgE and IgG receptors, and the demonstration of regulation of tissue mast-cell number through programmed cell death.
Future Efforts
- Further characterization of mast-cell precursors
- Characterization of signaling pathways in human mast cells
- Examination of the role of mast cells in innate immunity
- Characterization of new and novel mast-cell mediators
- Application of this information to the diagnosis and treatment of asthma and other allergic and immunologic diseases
Dean D. Metcalfe, M.D., Section Chief
Yun Bai, M.S.
Geethani Bandara, Ph.D.
Melody C. Carter, M.D
Eunice Chan, Ph.D.
Alasdair M. Gilfillan, Ph.D.
Tomonobu Ito, M.D., Ph.D.
Tatsuki Kataoka, M.D., Ph.D.
Arnold Kirshenbaum, M.D.
Hirsh Komarow, M.D.
Hyesun Kuehn (Park), Ph.D.
Nevenka Medic, M.D.
Madeleine Radinger, Ph.D.
Daniel Smrz, Ph.D.
Todd Wilson, D.O.
Yalin Wu, Ph.D.
Selected Recent Publications
To view a complete listing, visit PubMed.
Kulka M, Metcalfe DD. High-resolution tracking of cell division demonstrates differential effects of TH1 and TH2 cytokines on SCF-dependent human mast cell production in vitro: correlation with apoptosis and Kit expression. Blood. 2005 Jan 15;105(2):592-9.
Kushnir-Sukhov NM, Gilfillan AM, Coleman JW, Brown JM, Bruening S, Toth M, Metcalfe DD. 5-hydroxytryptamine induces mast cell adhesion and migration. J Immunol. 2006 Nov 1;177(9):6422-32.
Akin C, Scott LM, Kocabas CN, Kushnir-Sukhov N, Brittain E, Noel P, Metcalfe DD. Demonstration of an aberrant mast-cell population with clonal markers in a subset of patients with “idiopathic” anaphylaxis. Blood. 2007 Oct 1;110(7):2331-3.
Iwaki S, Spicka J, Tkaczyk C, Jensen BM, Furumoto Y, Charles N, Kovarova M, Rivera J, Horejsi V, Metcalfe DD, Gilfillan AM. Kit- and FcεRI-induced differential phosphorylation of the transmembrane adaptor molecule NTAL/LAB/LAT2 allows flexibility in its scaffolding function in mast cells. Cell Signal. 2008 Jan;20(1):195-205.
Kuehn HS, Beaven MA, Ma HT, Kim MS, Metcalfe DD, Gilfillan AM. Synergistic activation of phospholipases Cγ and Cβ: a novel mechanism for PI3K-independent enhancement of FcεRI-induced mast cell mediator release. Cell Signal. 2008 Apr;20(4):625-36.
Kim MS, Kuehn HS, Metcalfe DD, Gilfillan AM. Activation and function of the mTORC1 pathway in mast cells. J Immunol. 2008 Apr 1;180(7):4586-95.
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