P- and E-selectins are required for the leukocyte recruitment, but not the tissue swelling, associated with IgE- and mast cell-dependent inflammation in mouse skin.

Many studies, in both experimental animal and human systems, have indicated that P- and/or E-selectins may contribute importantly to the leukocyte recruitment that occurs in association with mast cell-dependent inflammatory responses. We used mice that genetically lack P-selectin (P -/-), E-selectin (E -/-), or both selectins (P/E -/-) to investigate the possible roles of these selectins in the IgE- and mast cell-dependent recruitment of neutrophils to the skin of mice. We found that a lack of either or both selectins had little or no effect on the extent of mast cell degranulation or the tissue swelling associated with these reactions. Moreover, a lack of either P- or E-selectin alone did not reduce the neutrophil infiltration at the reaction sites. However, mice lacking both P- and E-selectins exhibited an almost complete ablation of IgE- and mast cell-dependent neutrophil recruitment. These findings show that P- and E-selectins can express overlapping functions in leukocyte recruitment associated with IgE- and mast cell-dependent cutaneous late-phase reactions in mouse skin, and that a lack of both selectins results in a virtual elimination of IgE-dependent leukocyte recruitment.