I. Introduction Mast cell (MC) progenitors, derived from hematopoietic progenitors (HP), circulate in the bloodstream and reach tissues to undergo terminal maturation upon the influence of cytokines, the most important being stem cell factor (SCF), whose receptor, KIT, is a transmembrane protein with tyrosine kinase

General description Basophils are relatively rare cells that make up less than 1 % of blood leukocytes and are thought to play a role in expelling certain parasites but also contribute to allergic diseases. They were discovered in 1891 by Paul Ehrlich who showed that

Hallmarks of cancer The hallmarks of cancer include, according to Hanahan and Weinberg1, ten different mechanisms, as shown in Figure 1. Inflammation plays an important role in different stages of tumor development, including initiation, promotion, malignant conversion, invasion and metastasis.2 Here, tumor-infiltrating immune cells interact

Mast cells are emerging players in physiological and pathological pain pathways. Mast cells are frequently found in close proximity to nociceptive neurons and therefore can participate in juxtacrine signaling in neuro-immune synapses (1).  Mast cells induce nociceptor activation through the release of chemical mediators during

Tetraspanins are modulators of mast cell degranulation Mast cell (MC) degranulation basically is the result of FceRI cross-linking by IgE bound antigen. However, this process is mediated by a complex signaling machinery, sometimes referred to as the FceRI signalosome (1). Tetraspanin proteins have been named

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, airway inflammation, and airway remodeling. Mast cells (MC) activated through IgE, and specific allergens, release mediators that drive early phase reactions (EPR), contribute to late phase reaction (LPR), and also take part in airway remodeling.

Mast cells (MCs) are sentinel cells of the immune system and are found in greater numbers at sites of pathogen exposure such as the skin andairways. MCs are bestowed with different types of Toll like receptors (TLRs) that are important in the recognition of pathogens

Basophils from both human and mouse are effector cells of allergic inflammation. In the last few years it was demonstrated that basophils own additional attributes that enable them to play multifaceted roles in immunoregulation. Namely, it has been shown that basophils initiate Th2 differentiation1-5, regulate

Mast cells (MCs) are now regarded not only as effector cells playing a detrimental role in IgE-mediated allergic responses (Fig. 1) but also and more importantly as key players in host defences including via allergy-mediated processes. In this respect, mast cell responses during hypersensitivity reactions