Table 1 Comparison of murine and human mast cells

General phenotype classification

MMC, CTMC

Based on granule proteoglycan expression

Relatively well correlated with tissue distribution

MC_T, MC_TC, MC_C

Based on granule protease expression

^{23, 24, 27, 268, 269, 270}

Proteoglycan

MMC: Chondroitind sulfate di-B, A, E

CTMC: Heparin, Chondroitin sulfate E

Heparin, Chondroitin sulfate A, E

²⁶

Protease

Several tryptases and chymases with different specificities (e.g., mouse MMCs predominantly express MMCP-1 and -2, whereas mouse CTMCs predominantly express MMCP-3, -4, -5, -6, -7, and carboxypeptidase)

MC_T: Tryptase

MC_TC: Tryptase, chymase

MC_C: Chymase

Three MC tryptases (α, β, and γ) and one chymase have been identified

^{26, 269, 270}

Biogenic amine

MMC: Histamine (<1 pg per cell), Serotonin

CTMC: Histamine (≥15 pg per cell), Serotonin

Histamine, Serotonin

^{24, 26, 271, 272, 273}

Major growth factors

IL-3, SCF

SCF

^{54, 57, 58, 59, 274}

CD117 (SCFR)

+

IL-4, IL-10, and TGFβ1 inhibit CD117 expression

+

IL-4 inhibits CD117 expression

^{219, 222, 223, 232, 233}

FcɛRI

+

IL-4, IL-10, and TGFβ1 inhibit FcɛRI expression

+

IL-4 enhances FcɛRI expression

^{218, 223, 224, 229, 230, 231}

FcγR

FcγRIIb1, FcγRIIb2, FcγRIII: constitutively expressed in mouse BMMCs, RBL-2H3, and increased expression in mouse mature PMCs

FcγRI: IFNγ enhances FcγRI expression in PBMCs

FcγRII: PBMCs constitutively express FcγRIIa. SMCs constitutively express FcγRIIa but not FcγRIIb, whereas CBMCs constitutively express FcγRIIb but neither FcγRIIa nor FcγRIIc

^{136, 138, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279}

MHC

MHC-I: constitutively expressed in mouse BMMCs

MHC-II: IFNγ and LPS enhance MHC-II expression in mouse BMMCs and spleen-derived MCs. IL-3 inhibits MHC-II expression in mouse BMMCs. IFNγ enhances MHC-II expression in rat MCs isolated from pleural cavity. IFNγ and IL-4 enhance MHC-II expression in mouse PCMCs

MHC-I: constitutively expressed in human skin, lung, liver and uterus MCs, and HMC-1

MHC-II: IFNγ and TNF enhance MHC-II expression in HMC-1

^{88, 89, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97}

Sex hormone receptor

ERα: constitutively expressed in mouse BMMCs, rat PMCs, and RBL-2H3

PR: constitutively expressed in mouse BMMCs and rat PMCs

ERα: constitutively expressed in human MCs in nasal polyps, abdominal aortic vessels (fertile women), HMC-1, and LAD2

PR: constitutively expressed in human MCs in nasal polyps and HMC-1

^{251, 252, 253, 254, 255}, unpublished data^a

NOS

Mouse MCs: iNOS, eNOS

Rat MCs: nNOS, iNOS, eNOS

nNOS, iNOS, eNOS

²³⁷, unpublished data^a