Leukotriene B4, an activation product of mast cells, is a chemoattractant for their progenitors.

ABSTRACT: Mast cells are tissue-resident cells with important functions in allergy and inflammation. Pluripotential hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow give rise to committed mast cell progenitors that transit via the blood to tissues throughout the body, where they mature. Knowledge is limited about the factors that release mast cell progenitors from the bone marrow or recruit them to remote tissues. Mouse femoral bone marrow cells were cultured with IL-3 for 2 wk and a range of chemotactic agents were tested on the c-kit(+) population. Cells were remarkably refractory and no chemotaxis was induced by any chemokines tested. However, supernatants from activated mature mast cells induced pronounced chemotaxis, with the active principle identified as leukotriene (LT) B(4). Other activation pro

SUBMITTER: Weller CL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2212026 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature