Gregory Gregory D, Brown Melissa A
Graduate Program in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Methods Mol Biol. 2006;315:35-50. doi: 10.1385/1-59259-967-2:035.
As in the fashion industry, trends in a particular area of scientific investigation often are fleeting but then return with renewed and enthusiastic interest. Studies of mast cell biology are good examples of this. Although dogma once relegated mast cells almost exclusively to roles in pathological inflammation associated with allergic disease, these cells are emerging as important players in a number of other physiological processes. Consequently, they are quickly becoming the newest "trendy" cell, both within and outside the field of immunology. As sources of a large array of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators, mast cells also express cell surface molecules with defined functions in lymphocyte activation and trafficking. Here, we provide an overview of the traditional and newly appreciated contributions of mast cells to both innate and adaptive immune responses.
与时尚行业一样，科学研究特定领域的趋势往往转瞬即逝，但随后又会带着新的热情再度兴起。肥大细胞生物学的研究就是很好的例子。尽管曾经的教条几乎将肥大细胞的作用完全限定在与过敏性疾病相关的病理性炎症中，但这些细胞正成为许多其他生理过程中的重要参与者。因此，它们迅速成为免疫学领域内外最新的“热门”细胞。作为大量促炎和抗炎介质的来源，肥大细胞还表达在淋巴细胞活化和运输中具有特定功能的细胞表面分子。在这里，我们概述了肥大细胞对固有免疫和适应性免疫反应的传统贡献以及最近新认识到的贡献。
