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Mast cells and IgE in defense against lethality of venoms: Possible “benefit” of allergy

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Abstract

Physicians think of mast cells and IgE primarily in the context of allergic disorders, including fatal anaphylaxis. This ‘bad side’ of mast cells and IgE is so well accepted that it can be difficult to think of them in other contexts, particularly those in which they may have beneficial functions. However, there is evidence that mast cells and IgE, as well as basophils (circulating granulocytes whose functions partially overlap with those of mast cells), can contribute to host defense as components of adaptive type 2 immune responses to helminths, ticks and certain other parasites. Accordingly, allergies often are conceptualized as “misdirected” type 2 immune responses, in which IgE antibodies are produced against any of a diverse group of apparently harmless antigens, and against components of animal venoms. Indeed, certain unfortunate patients who have become sensitized to venoms develop severe IgE-associated allergic reactions, including fatal anaphylaxis, upon subsequent venom exposure. In this review, we will describe evidence that mast cells can enhance innate resistance, and survival, to challenge with reptile or arthropod venoms during a first exposure to such venoms. We also will discuss findings indicating that, in mice surviving an initial encounter with venom, acquired type 2 immune responses, IgE antibodies, the high affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI), and mast cells can contribute to acquired resistance to the lethal effects of both honeybee venom and Russell’s viper venom. These findings support the hypothesis that mast cells and IgE can help protect the host against venoms and perhaps other noxious substances.

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Abbreviations

ABS:

rabbit anti-basophil serum

AES:

rabbit anti-eosinophil serum

BMCMCs:

bone marrow-derived cultured mast cells

BV:

honeybee venom

bvPLA2 :

honeybee venom phospholipase A2

CBH:

cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity

CPA3:

carboxypeptidase A3

DNP:

dinitrophenol

DNP-HSA:

dinitrophenol-conjugated human serum albumin

ESCMCs:

embryonic stem cell-derived cultured mast cells

ET‑1:

endothelin‑1

F(ab):

antigen-binding fragment of an immunoglobulin molecule

FcεRI:

the high affinity receptor for IgE

i. d.:

intradermal

i.p.:

intraperitoneal

i.v.:

intravenous

IgE:

immunoglobulin E (antibody)

IgG:

immunoglobulin G (antibody)

IL:

interleukin

ILC2:

innate lymphoid cells, type 2

LPS:

lipopolysaccharide

MC(s):

mast cell(s)

Mcl‑1:

myeloid cell leukemia 1

MCP4:

mast cell protease 4

NRS:

normal rabbit serum

PAMPs:

pathogen-associated molecular patterns

RVV:

Russell’s viper venom

s.c.:

subcutaneous

shRNA:

small hairpin RNA

Th2:

T helper cell type 2

VIP:

vasoactive intestinal polypeptide

WT:

wild type

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Acknowledgements

We thank the past and current members of the Galli lab and the many collaborators who have made important contributions to the work reviewed herein. The work reviewed herein was supported by grants to S.J.G. from the National Institutes of Health (e.g., R37 AI23990, R01 CA072074, R01 AR067145, and U19 AI104209) and the National Science Foundation, and from several other funding sources, including the Department of Pathology at Stanford University. M.M. was supported by grants from the German Research Foundation (DFG, ME 2668/3‑2, ME 2668/2-1) and the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Foundation, P.S. was supported by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): P31113-B30, a Max Kade Fellowship of the Max Kade Foundation and the Austrian Academy of Sciences, a Schroedinger Fellowship of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): J3399-B21, and a Marie Curie fellowship of the European Commission (H2020-MSCA-IF-2014), 655153. T.M. was supported by a Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship for Career Development: European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IOF), 299954, and a “Charge de recherches” fellowship of the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research (F.R.S-FNRS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy and Asthma Research, Stanford University School of Medicine, 269 Campus Drive, Room 3255b, 94305, Stanford, CA, USA

    Stephen J. Galli & Mindy Tsai

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 94305, Stanford, CA, USA

    Stephen J. Galli

  3. Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany

    Martin Metz

  4. CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Philipp Starkl

  5. Department of Medicine 1, Laboratory of Infection Biology, Medical University of Vienna, 1090, Vienna, Austria

    Philipp Starkl

  6. GIGA-Research and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege, 4000, Liege, Belgium

    Thomas Marichal

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  1. Stephen J. Galli
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  2. Martin Metz
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  3. Philipp Starkl
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  4. Thomas Marichal
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Correspondence to Stephen J. Galli.

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Conflict of interest

S.J. Galli, M. Metz, P. Starkl, T. Marichal and M. Tsai declare that they have no competing interests.

Additional information

This review is a modified and updated version of similar invited reviews that appeared in the American Journal of Pathology: Galli SJ: The 2014 Rous-Whipple Award Lecture. The mast cell-IgE paradox: From homeostasis to anaphylaxis. Am J Pathol, 2016; 186:212–224. PMID: 26776074 and in Allergology International: Galli SJ, Starkl P, Marichal T, Tsai M. Mast cells and IgE in defense against venoms: Possible “good side” of allergy. Allergol Int 2016; 65:3–15. PMID: 26666482. This article is based in part on a keynote lecture given by Stephen J. Galli on April 11, 2019 at the EAACI Allergy School on Insect Venom Allergy and Mastocytosis in Groningen, The Netherlands.

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Galli, S.J., Metz, M., Starkl, P. et al. Mast cells and IgE in defense against lethality of venoms: Possible “benefit” of allergy. Allergo J Int 29, 46–62 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40629-020-00118-6

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