Publications

The maintenance and modulation of cutaneous mast cell (MC) numbers is held to be important for skin immune responses to allergens and pathogens. The increase in MC numbers in the skin is achieved by proliferation and the differentiation of precursor to mature MCs. Fibroblast- derived SCF is thought to be the major skin MC growth factor and it potently induces MC proliferation. The mechanisms of fibroblast- induced skin MC differentiation, including the role of SCF, however, remain insufficiently character-ized and understood. Using cocultures of immature murine MCs and fibroblasts, we found that the adhesion of immature MCs to fibroblasts via VCAM- 1 and α4β7 integrin is very important for subsequent differentiation, which is driven by fibroblast membrane- bound SCF and additional fibroblast- derived membrane- bound signals. Thus, our results show that fibroblast- induced MC differentiation is induced by direct cell–cell contact and involves both Kit- dependent and Kit- independent pathways. Our findings add to the understanding of how immature mast cells mature in murine skin and encourage further analyses of the underlying mechanisms, which may result in novel targets for the modulation of skin mast cell driven diseases.