Mice with defects in the stem cell factor receptor Kit lack mast cells, which have been implicated in a variety of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis. There are strain-specific differences in how mast cell-deficient animals manifest model diseases, leading to questions about the role of mast cells in certain pathologies. In this episode, Peter Nigrovic and colleagues investigate differences in mast cell-deficient mice that lead to differential susceptibility to IgG-induced arthritis. Using a series of bone marrow and cell transplantation experiments, Nigrovic and coworkers reveal that marrow and stromal context determine the role of mast cells in inflammation and that megakaryocytes can directly mediate inflammation.
The growth factor receptor Kit is involved in hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic development. Mice bearing
Pierre Cunin, Loka R. Penke, Jonathan N. Thon, Paul A. Monach, Tatiana Jones, Margaret H. Chang, Mary M. Chen, Imene Melki, Steve Lacroix, Yoichiro Iwakura, Jerry Ware, Michael F. Gurish, Joseph E. Italiano, Eric Boilard, Peter A. Nigrovic