Mast Cells Detect And Defend Against The Dengue Virus, Study

Mast cells, which can help the body respond to bacteria and pathogens, also detect viruses delivered by a mosquito bite, says a new study.

AsianScientist (May 17, 2011) – Mast cells, which can help the body respond to bacteria and pathogens, also detect viruses delivered by a mosquito bite, according to researchers at the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore.

Studying the dengue virus in mice, the researchers found that mast cells can sense and recognize the virus. When activated, the mast cells call immune system cells to the skin where they clear infection, which limits the spread of infection in the host.

The scientists chose to study dengue virus, which is common in Singapore, because mosquitoes inject the virus through the skin, and the skin is rich in mast cells, said lead researcher Ashley St. John.

They also found that mice lacking mast cells had more of the virus in their lymph nodes and increased infection of the injected virus, compared to mice with normal levels of mast cells. The mast cells produce chemokines, which in turn help to bring some special killer cells into the infected skin to fight and contain the virus.

“The finding is important because to date there are no vaccines or effective therapies for dengue fever,” said senior author Dr. Soman Abraham, Professor of Pathology and mast-cell expert.

This knowledge that mast cells can recognize viruses could help researchers develop vaccines and small molecules that deliberately activate mast cells.

Because mast cells are involved in airway reactions, as during an asthma attack, this new finding may also help scientists study viral infection in the lungs, airways and sinuses. Other mosquito-borne viruses such as the West Nile virus could also be studied.

The article can be found at: St. John AL et al. (2011) Immune surveillance by mast cells during dengue infection promotes natural killer (NK) and NKT-cell recruitment and viral clearance.

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Source: Duke University Medical Center.
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