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Molderings GJ. Systemic mast cell activation disease variants and certain genetically determined comorbidities may be consequences of a common underlying epigenetic disease. Med Hypotheses 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2022.110862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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González-López O, Muñoz-González JI, Orfao A, Álvarez-Twose I, García-Montero AC. Comprehensive Analysis of Acquired Genetic Variants and Their Prognostic Impact in Systemic Mastocytosis. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14102487. [PMID: 35626091 PMCID: PMC9139197 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14102487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 05/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare clonal haematopoietic stem cell disease in which activating KIT mutations (most commonly KIT D816V) are present in virtually every (>90%) adult patient at similar frequencies among non-advanced and advanced forms of SM. The KIT D816V mutation is considered the most common pathogenic driver of SM. Acquisition of this mutation early during haematopoiesis may cause multilineage involvement of haematopoiesis by KIT D816V, which has been associated with higher tumour burden and additional mutations in other genes, leading to an increased rate of transformation to advanced SM. Thus, among other mutations, alterations in around 30 genes that are also frequently mutated in other myeloid neoplasms have been reported in SM cases. From these genes, 12 (i.e., ASXL1, CBL, DNMT3A, EZH2, JAK2, KRAS, NRAS, SF3B1, RUNX1, SF3B1, SRSF2, TET2) have been recurrently reported to be mutated in SM. Because of all the above, assessment of multilineage involvement of haematopoiesis by the KIT D816V mutation, in the setting of multi-mutated haematopoiesis as revealed by a limited panel of genes (i.e., ASXL1, CBL, DNMT3A, EZH2, NRAS, RUNX1 and SRSF2) and associated with a poorer patient outcome, has become of great help to identify SM patients at higher risk of disease progression and/or poor survival who could benefit from closer follow-up and eventually also early cytoreductive treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar González-López
- Cancer Research Center (IBMCC, USAL/CSIC), Department of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca and Spanish Network on Mastocytosis (REMA), 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (O.G.-L.); (J.I.M.-G.); (A.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Javier I. Muñoz-González
- Cancer Research Center (IBMCC, USAL/CSIC), Department of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca and Spanish Network on Mastocytosis (REMA), 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (O.G.-L.); (J.I.M.-G.); (A.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Alberto Orfao
- Cancer Research Center (IBMCC, USAL/CSIC), Department of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca and Spanish Network on Mastocytosis (REMA), 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (O.G.-L.); (J.I.M.-G.); (A.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain;
| | - Iván Álvarez-Twose
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain;
- Instituto de Estudios de Mastocitosis de Castilla La Mancha (CLMast, Virgen del Valle Hospital) and REMA, 45071 Toledo, Spain
| | - Andrés C. García-Montero
- Cancer Research Center (IBMCC, USAL/CSIC), Department of Medicine, Universidad de Salamanca, Biomedical Research Institute of Salamanca and Spanish Network on Mastocytosis (REMA), 37007 Salamanca, Spain; (O.G.-L.); (J.I.M.-G.); (A.O.)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red Cáncer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain;
- Correspondence:
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Afrin LB. Some cases of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome may be rooted in mast cell activation syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL GENETICS PART C-SEMINARS IN MEDICAL GENETICS 2021; 187:466-472. [PMID: 34719842 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.c.31944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is the most common type of EDS, yet has remained steadfastly inscrutable vis-à-vis efforts to identify its cellular, molecular, and pathophysiologic roots. Once thought to principally affect just connective tissues, hEDS is now appreciated to be a multisystem disease of great heterogeneity with many symptoms and findings difficult to attribute solely to disordered connective tissue development. In the last decade, there has been growth in the appreciation of the existence of a wide range of disorders of chronic inappropriate mast cell (MC) activation (a large heterogeneous pool of MC activation syndromes [MCAS]) distinguishable from other MC disorders such as rare neoplastic mastocytosis. Via chronic aberrant release of the MC's vast repertoire of potent mediators, MCAS can drive extraordinary arrays of pathologies, most commonly of inflammatory, allergic, and dystrophic natures. Although hEDS is seen in only a minority of MCAS cases, limited studies have identified an association between hEDS and MCAS, fueling speculation that certain variants of MCAS may drive hEDS. No laboratory studies probing cellular or molecular linkages between hEDS and MCAS have been conducted yet, and research efforts to identify the genetic roots of hEDS should also consider those of MCAS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence B Afrin
- Department of Mast Cell Studies, AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, Purchase, New York, USA
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Weinstock LB, Brook JB, Walters AS, Goris A, Afrin LB, Molderings GJ. Mast cell activation symptoms are prevalent in Long-COVID. Int J Infect Dis 2021; 112:217-226. [PMID: 34563706 PMCID: PMC8459548 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2021.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Hyper-inflammation caused by COVID-19 may be mediated by mast cell activation (MCA) which has also been hypothesized to cause Long-COVID (LC) symptoms. We determined prevalence/severity of MCA symptoms in LC. Methods Adults in LC-focused Facebook support groups were recruited for online assessment of symptoms before and after COVID-19. Questions included presence and severity of known MCA and LC symptoms and validated assessments of fatigue and quality of life. General population controls and mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS) patients were recruited for comparison if they were ≥18 years of age and never had overt COVID-19 symptoms. Results There were 136 LC subjects (89.7% females, age 46.9 ±12.9 years), 136 controls (65.4% females, age 49.2 ±15.5), and 80 MCAS patients (85.0% females, age 47.7 ±16.4). Pre-COVID-19 LC subjects and controls had virtually identical MCA symptom and severity analysis. Post-COVID-19 LC subjects and MCAS patients prior to treatment had virtually identical MCA symptom and severity analysis. Conclusions MCA symptoms were increased in LC and mimicked the symptoms and severity reported by patients who have MCAS. Increased activation of aberrant mast cells induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection by various mechanisms may underlie part of the pathophysiology of LC, possibly suggesting routes to effective therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonard B Weinstock
- Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Departments of Medicine, Missouri Baptist Medical Center and Washington University School of Medicine, President, Specialists in Gastroenterology, 11525 Olde Cabin Road, St. Louis, MO, USA 63141, TEL 314-997-4627, FAX 314-997-5086.
| | - Jill B Brook
- Biostatistics, Private Practice, 13285 Roundhill, Truckee, CA, USA 96161, TEL 626-375-6725.
| | - Arthur S Walters
- Professor of Neurology, Division of Sleep Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Medical Center North A-0118, 1161 21(st) Ave South, Nashville, TN, USA 37232-2551, TEL 615-322-0283, FAX 615- 936-5663.
| | - Ashleigh Goris
- Manager, Infection Prevention & Control and Clinical Quality, Missouri Baptist Medical Center, Mailstop: 95, 3015 N. Ballas Road, St. Louis, MO, USA 63131, TEL 314-996-5421, FAX 314-996-5909.
| | - Lawrence B Afrin
- Department of Mast Cell Studies, Hematology/Oncology, AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, Purchase, NY, USA 10577, TEL 914-730-7390, FAX 914-730-7391.
| | - Gerhard J Molderings
- Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Molecular Geneticist, Immunologist, Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Bonn, D53127 Bonn, Germany, TEL ++49 1623322001, FAX ++49 2225 9984911.
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Afrin LB, Weinstock LB, Molderings GJ. Covid-19 hyperinflammation and post-Covid-19 illness may be rooted in mast cell activation syndrome. Int J Infect Dis 2020; 100:327-332. [PMID: 32920235 PMCID: PMC7529115 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2020.09.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES One-fifth of Covid-19 patients suffer a severe course of Covid-19 infection; however, the specific causes remain unclear. Mast cells (MCs) are activated by SARS-CoV-2. Although only recently recognized, MC activation syndrome (MCAS), usually due to acquired MC clonality, is a chronic multisystem disorder with inflammatory and allergic themes, and an estimated prevalence of 17%. This paper describes a novel conjecture explaining how MCAS might cause a propensity for severe acute Covid-19 infection and chronic post-Covid-19 illnesses. METHODS Observations of Covid-19 illness in patients with/without MCAS were compared with extensive clinical experience with MCAS. RESULTS The prevalence of MCAS is similar to that of severe cases within the Covid-19-infected population. Much of Covid-19's hyperinflammation is concordant with manners of inflammation which MC activation can drive. Drugs with activity against MCs or their mediators have preliminarily been observed to be helpful in Covid-19 patients. None of the authors' treated MCAS patients with Covid-19 suffered severe infection, let alone mortality. CONCLUSIONS Hyperinflammatory cytokine storms in many severely symptomatic Covid-19 patients may be rooted in an atypical response to SARS-CoV-2 by the dysfunctional MCs of MCAS rather than a normal response by normal MCs. If proven, this theory has significant therapeutic and prognostic implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence B Afrin
- Department of Mast Cell Studies, AIM Center for Personalized Medicine, Purchase, New York, USA.
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Siglec-8 as mast cell selective target: developing paradigms amidst inconvenient truths. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2017; 390:1173-1175. [PMID: 28905193 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-017-1425-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2017] [Accepted: 09/04/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Due to the limited efficacy of current drugs in treating systemic mast cell activation disease, there is an urgent need for more effective drugs selectively acting at mast cells. In the past, a large number of compounds have been claimed to be effective and mast cell selective on the basis of cell culture experiments and studies on blood leukocytes which could not be verified in organ and animal studies. Nevertheless, over time in review papers about potential mast cell targets mast cell selectivity of these targets has been no longer challenged. A recent example for such developing paradigms amidst inconvenient truths is the hype on the purported selective expression of the putative adhesion molecule sialic acid binding Ig-like lectin 8 (Siglec-8) in mast cells and eosinophils, although current data from different publically available databases/sources clearly demonstrate a widespread expression of Siglec-8 in the cells of most tissues. Two suggestions are presented: (1) In the specific case of Siglec-8, the limited mast cell selectivity should be kept in mind in the development and surveillance of Siglec-8-based mast cell- and eosinophil-targeted therapeutic strategies because of potential severe adverse effects in the Siglec-8-positive tissues. (2) In general, readers should always challenge reports about the selective expression of potential targets for drugs in a few cell types of the organism, even if they are published in highly renown journals.
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Abstract
DNA methylation and specifically the DNA methyltransferase enzyme DNMT3A are involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of hematological diseases and in regulating the function of immune cells. Although altered DNA methylation patterns and mutations in DNMT3A correlate with mast cell proliferative disorders in humans, the role of DNA methylation in mast cell biology is not understood. By using mast cells lacking Dnmt3a, we found that this enzyme is involved in restraining mast cell responses to acute and chronic stimuli, both in vitro and in vivo. The exacerbated mast cell responses observed in the absence of Dnmt3a were recapitulated or enhanced by treatment with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine as well as by down-modulation of Dnmt1 expression, further supporting the role of DNA methylation in regulating mast cell activation. Mechanistically, these effects were in part mediated by the dysregulated expression of the scaffold protein IQGAP2, which is characterized by the ability to regulate a wide variety of biological processes. Altogether, our data demonstrate that DNMT3A and DNA methylation are key modulators of mast cell responsiveness to acute and chronic stimulation.
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Molderings GJ. Transgenerational transmission of systemic mast cell activation disease-genetic and epigenetic features. Transl Res 2016; 174:86-97. [PMID: 26880691 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2016.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 01/02/2016] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Systemic mast cell activation disease (MCAD) comprises disorders characterized by an enhanced release of mast cell mediators accompanied by a varying accumulation of dysfunctional mast cells. Within the last years, evidence has been presented that MCAD is a multifactorial polygenic determined disease with the KIT(D816V) mutation and its induced functional consequences considered as special case. The respective genes encode proteins for various signaling pathways, epigenetic regulators, the RNA splicing machinery, and transcription factors. Transgenerational transmission of MCAD appears to be quite common. The basics of the molecular mechanisms underlying predisposition of the disease, that is, somatic and germline mutations and the contribution of epigenetic processes have become identifiable. The aim of the present review is to present and discuss available genetic, epigenetic and epidemiological findings, and to present a model of MCAD pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard J Molderings
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, D-53127 Bonn, Germany.
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Kolck UW, Haenisch B, Molderings GJ. Cardiovascular symptoms in patients with systemic mast cell activation disease. Transl Res 2016; 174:23-32.e1. [PMID: 26775802 DOI: 10.1016/j.trsl.2015.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2015] [Revised: 12/11/2015] [Accepted: 12/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, mast cell activation disease (MCAD) has been considered as just one rare (neoplastic) disease, mastocytosis, focused on the mast cell (MC) mediators tryptase and histamine and the suggestive, blatant symptoms of flushing and anaphylaxis. Recently another form of MCAD, the MC activation syndrome, has been recognized featuring inappropriate MC activation with little to no neoplasia and likely much more heterogeneously clonal and far more prevalent than mastocytosis. Increasing expertise and appreciation has been established for the truly very large menagerie of MC mediators and their complex patterns of release, engendering complex, nebulous presentations of chronic and acute illness best characterized as multisystem polymorbidity of generally inflammatory ± allergic theme. We describe the pathogenesis of MCAD with a particular focus on clinical cardiovascular symptoms and the therapeutic options for MC mediator-induced cardiovascular symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich W Kolck
- Johanniter-Kliniken Bonn, Waldkrankenhaus, Innere Medizin II, Bonn, Germany
| | - Britta Haenisch
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
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Molderings GJ, Haenisch B, Brettner S, Homann J, Menzen M, Dumoulin FL, Panse J, Butterfield J, Afrin LB. Pharmacological treatment options for mast cell activation disease. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2016; 389:671-94. [PMID: 27132234 PMCID: PMC4903110 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-016-1247-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Mast cell activation disease (MCAD) is a term referring to a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by aberrant release of variable subsets of mast cell (MC) mediators together with accumulation of either morphologically altered and immunohistochemically identifiable mutated MCs due to MC proliferation (systemic mastocytosis [SM] and MC leukemia [MCL]) or morphologically ordinary MCs due to decreased apoptosis (MC activation syndrome [MCAS] and well-differentiated SM). Clinical signs and symptoms in MCAD vary depending on disease subtype and result from excessive mediator release by MCs and, in aggressive forms, from organ failure related to MC infiltration. In most cases, treatment of MCAD is directed primarily at controlling the symptoms associated with MC mediator release. In advanced forms, such as aggressive SM and MCL, agents targeting MC proliferation such as kinase inhibitors may be provided. Targeted therapies aimed at blocking mutant protein variants and/or downstream signaling pathways are currently being developed. Other targets, such as specific surface antigens expressed on neoplastic MCs, might be considered for the development of future therapies. Since clinicians are often underprepared to evaluate, diagnose, and effectively treat this clinically heterogeneous disease, we seek to familiarize clinicians with MCAD and review current and future treatment approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard J Molderings
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Britta Haenisch
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefan Brettner
- Department of Oncology, Hematology and Palliative Care, Kreiskrankenhaus Waldbröl, Waldbröl, Germany
| | - Jürgen Homann
- Allgemeine Innere Medizin, Gastroenterologie und Diabetologie, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus Menzen
- Allgemeine Innere Medizin, Gastroenterologie und Diabetologie, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus, Bonn, Germany
| | - Franz Ludwig Dumoulin
- Allgemeine Innere Medizin, Gastroenterologie und Diabetologie, Gemeinschaftskrankenhaus, Bonn, Germany
| | - Jens Panse
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Joseph Butterfield
- Program for the Study of Mast Cell and Eosinophil Disorders, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA
| | - Lawrence B Afrin
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
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Afrin LB, Butterfield JH, Raithel M, Molderings GJ. Often seen, rarely recognized: mast cell activation disease--a guide to diagnosis and therapeutic options. Ann Med 2016; 48:190-201. [PMID: 27012973 DOI: 10.3109/07853890.2016.1161231] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mast cell (MC) disease has long been thought to be just the rare disease of mastocytosis (in various forms, principally cutaneous and systemic), with aberrant MC mediator release at symptomatic levels due to neoplastic MC proliferation. Recent discoveries now show a new view is in order, with mastocytosis capping a metaphorical iceberg now called "MC activation disease" (MCAD, i.e. disease principally manifesting inappropriate MC activation), with the bulk of the iceberg being the recently recognized "MC activation syndrome" (MCAS), featuring inappropriate MC activation to symptomatic levels with little to no inappropriate MC proliferation. Given increasing appreciation of a great menagerie of mutations in MC regulatory elements in mastocytosis and MCAS, the great heterogeneity of MCAD's clinical presentation is unsurprising. Most MCAD patients present with decades of chronic multisystem polymorbidity generally of an inflammatory ± allergic theme. Preliminary epidemiologic investigation suggests MCAD, while often misrecognized, may be substantially prevalent, making it increasingly important that practitioners of all stripes learn how to recognize its more common forms such as MCAS. We review the diagnostically challenging presentation of MCAD (with an emphasis on MCAS) and current thoughts regarding its biology, epidemiology, natural history, diagnostic evaluation, and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence B Afrin
- a Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation , University of Minnesota , Minneapolis , MN , USA
| | - Joseph H Butterfield
- b Program for the Study of Mast Cell and Eosinophil Disorders , Mayo Clinic , Rochester , MN , USA
| | - Martin Raithel
- c Department of Internal Medicine , Waldkrankenhaus St. Marien , Erlangen , Germany
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Afrin LB, Khoruts A. Mast Cell Activation Disease and Microbiotic Interactions. Clin Ther 2015; 37:941-53. [PMID: 25773459 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2015.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2015] [Revised: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This article reviews the diagnostically challenging presentation of mast cell activation disease (MCAD) and current thoughts regarding interactions between microbiota and MCs. METHODS A search for all studies on interactions between mast cells, mast cell activation disease, and microbiota published on pubmed.gov and scholar.google.com between 1960 and 2015 was conducted using the search terms mast cell, mastocyte, mastocytosis, mast cell activation, mast cell activation disease, mast cell activation syndrome, microbiome, microbiota. A manual review of the references from identified studies was also conducted. Studies were excluded if they were not accessible electronically or by interlibrary loan. FINDINGS Research increasingly is revealing essential involvement of MCs in normal human biology and in human disease. Via many methods, normal MCs-present sparsely in every tissue-sense their environment and reactively exert influences that, directly and indirectly, locally and remotely, improve health. The dysfunctional MCs of the "iceberg" of MCAD, on the other hand, sense abnormally, react abnormally, activate constitutively, and sometimes (in mastocytosis, the "tip" of the MCAD iceberg) even proliferate neoplastically. MCAD causes chronic multisystem illness generally, but not necessarily, of an inflammatory ± allergic theme and with great variability in behavior among patients and within any patient over time. Furthermore, the range of signals to which MCs respond and react include signals from the body's microbiota, and regardless of whether an MCAD patient has clonal mastocytosis or the bulk of the iceberg now known as MC activation syndrome (also suspected to be clonal but without significant MC proliferation), dysfunctional MCs interact as dysfunctionally with those microbiota as they interact with other human tissues, potentially leading to many adverse consequences. IMPLICATIONS Interactions between microbiota and MCs are complex at baseline. The potential for both pathology and benefit may be amplified when compositionally variant microbiota interact with aberrant MCs in various types of MCAD. More research is needed to better understand and leverage these interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lawrence B Afrin
- Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
| | - Alexander Khoruts
- Division of Gastroenterology and Center for Immunology, BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
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Molderings GJ. The genetic basis of mast cell activation disease - looking through a glass darkly. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol 2015; 93:75-89. [DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2014.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Revised: 08/14/2014] [Accepted: 09/16/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
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