Editing Mast cell (section)

{{Short description|Cell found in connective tissue}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox cell
| Name        = Mastocyte
| Latin       = mastocytus
| Greek       =
| Image       = Mastocyte.jpg
| Caption     = Mast cell (large dark cell in the center of the field of view) surrounded by bone marrow cells, Giemsa stain, 1000x.
| Width       =
| Image2      =
| Caption2    =
| Precursor   =
| System      = [[Immune system]]
}}

A '''mast cell''' (also known as a '''mastocyte''' or a '''labrocyte'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.memidex.com/labrocytes|title=labrocytes|publisher=Memidex|access-date=19 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106182610/http://www.memidex.com/labrocytes|archive-date=6 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>) is a resident cell of connective tissue that contains many [[granule (cell biology)|granules]] rich in [[histamine]] and [[heparin]]. Specifically, it is a type of [[granulocyte]] derived from the [[CFU-GEMM|myeloid stem cell]] that is a part of the [[immune system|immune]] and [[neuroimmune system|neuroimmune]] systems. Mast cells were discovered by [[Friedrich Daniel von Recklinghausen|Friedrich von Recklinghausen]] and later rediscovered by [[Paul Ehrlich]] in 1877.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ehrlich|first=Paul|year=1878|title=Beiträge zur Theorie und Praxis der Histologischen Färbung|journal=Leipzig University}}</ref> Although best known for their role in [[allergy]] and [[anaphylaxis]], mast cells play an important protective role as well, being intimately involved in wound healing, [[angiogenesis]], [[immune tolerance]], defense against [[pathogen]]s, and vascular permeability in brain tumors.<ref name="Mast cell function">{{cite journal | vauthors = da Silva EZ, Jamur MC, Oliver C | title = Mast cell function: a new vision of an old cell | journal = J. Histochem. Cytochem. | volume = 62 | issue = 10 | pages = 698–738 | year = 2014 | pmid = 25062998 | pmc = 4230976 | doi = 10.1369/0022155414545334 | quote = Mast cells can recognize pathogens through different mechanisms including direct binding of pathogens or their components to PAMP receptors on the mast cell surface, binding of antibody or complement-coated bacteria to complement or immunoglobulin receptors, or recognition of endogenous peptides produced by infected or injured cells (Hofmann and Abraham 2009). The pattern of expression of these receptors varies considerably among different mast cell subtypes. TLRs (1–7 and 9), NLRs, RLRs, and receptors for complement are accountable for most mast cell innate responses}}</ref><ref name="Mast cell neuroimmmune system" />

The mast cell is very similar in both appearance and function to the [[Basophil granulocyte|basophil]], another type of [[white blood cell]]. Although mast cells were once thought to be tissue-resident basophils, it has been shown that the two cells develop from different [[Haematopoiesis|hematopoietic]] lineages and thus cannot be the same cells.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=20362540 | doi=10.1016/j.stem.2010.02.013 | volume=6 | issue=4 | title=Distinguishing mast cell and granulocyte differentiation at the single-cell level | pmc=2852254 | year=2010 | journal=Cell Stem Cell | pages=361–8 | vauthors=Franco CB, Chen CC, Drukker M, Weissman IL, Galli SJ}}</ref>