Requirement of interaction between mast cells and skin dendritic cells to establish contact hypersensitivity.

ABSTRACT: The role of mast cells (MCs) in contact hypersensitivity (CHS) remains controversial. This is due in part to the use of the MC-deficient Kit (W/Wv) mouse model, since Kit (W/Wv) mice congenitally lack other types of cells as a result of a point mutation in c-kit. A recent study indicated that the intronic enhancer (IE) for Il4 gene transcription is essential for MCs but not in other cell types. The aim of this study is to re-evaluate the roles of MCs in CHS using mice in which MCs can be conditionally and specifically depleted. Transgenic Mas-TRECK mice in which MCs are depleted conditionally were newly generated using cell-type specific gene regulation by IE. Using this mouse, CHS and FITC-induced cutaneous DC migration were analyzed. Chemotaxis assay and cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ imaging were per

SUBMITTER: Otsuka A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3184129 | biostudies-literature | 2011

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature