Authors' Affiliations: Departments of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California.
Cancer Immunol Res. 2013 Nov;1(5):269-79. doi: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-13-0119.
Mast cells are immune cells that reside in virtually all vascularized tissues. Upon activation by diverse mechanisms, mast cells can secrete a broad array of biologically active products that either are stored in the cytoplasmic granules of the cells (e.g., histamine, heparin, various proteases) or are produced de novo upon cell stimulation (e.g., prostaglandins, leukotrienes, cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors). Mast cells are best known for their effector functions during anaphylaxis and acute IgE-associated allergic reactions, but they also have been implicated in a wide variety of processes that maintain health or contribute to disease. There has been particular interest in the possible roles of mast cells in tumor biology. In vitro studies have shown that mast cells have the potential to influence many aspects of tumor biology, including tumor development, tumor-induced angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling, and the shaping of adaptive immune responses to tumors. Yet, the actual contributions of mast cells to tumor biology in vivo remain controversial. Here, we review some basic features of mast cell biology with a special emphasis on those relevant to their potential roles in tumors. We discuss how using in vivo tumor models in combination with models in which mast cell function can be modulated has implicated mast cells in the regulation of host responses to tumors. Finally, we summarize data from studies of human tumors that suggest either beneficial or detrimental roles for mast cells in tumors.
肥大细胞是存在于几乎所有血管化组织中的免疫细胞。通过多种机制激活后，肥大细胞可以分泌广泛的生物活性产物，这些产物要么储存在细胞的细胞质颗粒中（例如，组胺、肝素、各种蛋白酶），要么在细胞刺激时新产生（例如，前列腺素、白三烯、细胞因子、趋化因子和生长因子）。肥大细胞以其在过敏反应和急性 IgE 相关过敏反应中的效应功能而闻名，但它们也与维持健康或导致疾病的各种过程有关。人们对肥大细胞在肿瘤生物学中的可能作用特别感兴趣。体外研究表明，肥大细胞有可能影响肿瘤生物学的许多方面，包括肿瘤的发展、肿瘤诱导的血管生成和组织重塑，以及对肿瘤的适应性免疫反应的形成。然而，肥大细胞对体内肿瘤生物学的实际贡献仍然存在争议。在这里，我们回顾了肥大细胞生物学的一些基本特征，特别强调了与它们在肿瘤中的潜在作用相关的特征。我们讨论了如何使用体内肿瘤模型结合可以调节肥大细胞功能的模型，表明肥大细胞参与了宿主对肿瘤的反应的调节。最后，我们总结了来自人类肿瘤研究的数据，这些数据表明肥大细胞在肿瘤中具有有益或有害的作用。
