- Mast cells are essential intermediaries in regulatory T-cell tolerance.
Lu LF, Lind EF, Gondek DC, et al. Nature 2006;442:997-1002
• it is known that T-regulatory cells, a subset of CD4+ T lymphocytes, are able to prevent other immune cells from attacking healthy tissues
• the authors demonstrate that the protective actions of T-regulatory cells depend on mast cells; so, mast cells do not only play a proinflammatory role in allergic disorders but also a physiological role to prevent immune-mediated tissue damage
• IL-9 from the T-regulatory cells is probably involved in the recruitment and activation of mast cells to perform this protecting role
• mast cells, like macrophages and dendritic cells, are thus not merely agents of destruction but ensure self-tolerance and tissue integrity through the maintenance of microenvironments where harmful immune responses are damped down
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