Mast Cell-restricted Tryptases: Structure and Function in Inflammation and Pathogen Defense

Mast cells (MCs) are highly specialized immune cells present in mammals and in lower organisms that predate the development of adaptive immunity. The strong evolutionary pressure to retain MCs for >500 million years suggests critical roles for these cells in our survival. In support of this concl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of biological chemistry 2007-07, Vol.282 (29), p.20785-20789
Main Authors: McNeil, H. Patrick, Adachi, Roberto, Stevens, Richard L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Bacterial Infections - metabolism
Humans
Immunity, Innate
Inflammation
Mast Cells - cytology
Mice
Models, Biological
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Proteoglycans - metabolism
Structure-Activity Relationship
Tryptases - chemistry
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Summary:Mast cells (MCs) are highly specialized immune cells present in mammals and in lower organisms that predate the development of adaptive immunity. The strong evolutionary pressure to retain MCs for >500 million years suggests critical roles for these cells in our survival. In support of this conclusion, no human has been identified to date that lacks MCs, despite the adverse roles of MCs in systemic anaphylaxis and varied inflammatory disorders. MCs express numerous lineage-restricted neutral proteases, and four members of the chromosome 17A3.3 family of tryptases are preferentially expressed in mouse MCs. The anatomical location of MCs at host-environment interfaces has raised the possibility that some of these enzymes are evolutionally conserved because they are needed for combating infectious organisms. Here we review recent insights into the structure and function of MC tryptases in inflammation and host defense against bacteria and other infectious organisms.
ISSN:0021-9258
1083-351X
DOI:10.1074/jbc.R700017200