Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Dec;51(2-3):215-26.
doi: 10.1007/s12026-011-8250-x.

The impact of bacterial infection on mast cell degranulation

Jordan Wesolowski  1 , Fabienne Paumet
Affiliations
Review

The impact of bacterial infection on mast cell degranulation

Jordan Wesolowski et al. Immunol Res. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

In developed countries, the prevalence of allergy is on the rise. Although the causes are unknown, it seems that (1) the disappearance of microbiota may play a role in the increase of allergies and (2) exposure to bacterial infections during childhood decreases the incidence of allergies. Although several cell types are involved in the development of allergy, mast cells play a major role in orchestrating inflammation. Upon activation, mast cell secretory granules fuse with the plasma membrane, resulting in the release of a number of inflammatory mediators. In addition to allergy, mast cells contribute to the innate immune response against a variety of bacteria. This is accomplished through the secretion of cytokines and other soluble mediators. Interestingly, there is growing evidence that mast cells exposed to bacteria down-regulate degranulation in response to IgE/Allergen stimulation. This inhibitory effect seems to require direct contact between bacteria and mast cells, but the intracellular mechanism by which bacterial contact suppresses allergic responses is unknown. Here, we review different aspects of mast cell physiology and discuss hypotheses as to how bacteria may influence mast cell degranulation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2009;150(4):359-69 - PubMed
    1. Immunol Rev. 2007 Jun;217:292-303 - PubMed
    1. Nat Struct Biol. 2002 Feb;9(2):107-11 - PubMed
    1. Eur Respir J. 2008 Apr;31(4):773-82 - PubMed
    1. FEBS Lett. 2007 Jul 24;581(18):3479-84 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources