IL-16 regulates mast cell chemotaxis and function through the tetraspanin CD9.

肥大细胞存在于人类和其他哺乳动物的关键部位，如皮肤、呼吸道和肠道，为抵御各种感染提供了第一道防线。这些细胞使用了许多对人类有深远影响的产品。特别是，这些产品被认为参与了对细菌和病毒的防御，并与哮喘等过敏性疾病有关。在正常情况下，肥大细胞只存在于组织中，而不存在于外周血中。然而，我们首次观察到，肥大样细胞存在于哮喘和过敏性疾病患者的外周血中，而不是在正常人中。这一发现改变了肥大细胞生物学的主流范式。能够影响肥大细胞生长和功能的产物对于理解肥大细胞如何参与人类哮喘等疾病至关重要。我们已经证明了Tetraspanin家族肥大细胞上的一种蛋白(CD9)是一种产物(IL-16)的受体，该产物被认为在哮喘和其他炎症条件下是重要的。对IL-16如何调节肥大细胞的了解可能会导致潜在的新疗法，如哮喘和HIV-1感染。

Mast cells are found in humans and other mammals at strategic sites such as skin, lining of the airways and gut and provide a first line of defence against a variety of infections. These cells use a number of products that have profound effects in humans. In particular, these products are thought to be involved in defence against bacteria, viruses and are implicated in allergic conditions such as asthma. In normal circumstances mast cells are only found in the tissues and not in the peripheral blood. However, we have made the first observation that mast-like cells occur in the peripheral blood of patients with asthma and allergic conditions but not in normals. This finding changed the prevailing paradigm for mast cell biology. The products that can influence mast cell growth and function are vital to the understanding of how mast cells are involved in conditions such as human asthma. We have demonstrated that a protein (CD9) on mast cells in the tetraspanin family is a receptor for a product (IL-16) which is thought to be important in asthma and other inflammatory conditions. The understanding of how mast cells are regulated by IL-16 may lead to potential new therapies in conditions such as asthma and HIV-1 infection.