Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Vaccine adjuvants

Tailor-made mast-cell granules

Nature Materials volume 11, pages 181–182 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Mast cells induce protective immune responses through secretion of stimulatory granules. Microparticles modelled after mast-cell granules are now shown to replicate and enhance the functions of their natural counterparts and to direct the character of the resulting immunity.

Mast cells — bone-marrow-derived cells found predominantly in connective tissues — are inducers of immune reactions1. When activated — which can happen through a variety of receptors — mast cells release granules housing immunostimulatory proteins such as the apoptosis-inducing tumour necrosis factor (TNF) in a matrix rich in heparin (a polysaccharide) and histamine (an amine that mediates allergic reactions)2. Heparin's main function in the granules is possibly the protection of the protein cargo while it is being transported to distant lymph nodes — the organs housing immune cells where protective immune reactions are induced. Inspired by mast-cell granules, Ashley St John and colleagues previously engineered synthetic submicrometre polymer particles consisting of TNF entrapped in a matrix of the polyelectrolytes chitosan and heparin2. Now, the authors report in Nature Materials that the synthetic particles replicate the functions of mast-cell granules, including the encapsulation of immunostimulatory mediators and the delivery of the mediators to lymph nodes, and can also be used to polarize the resulting immune response3.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Natural versus synthetic mast-cell granules.

References

  1. Dudeck, A. et al. Immunity 34, 973–984 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kunder, C. A. et al. J. Exp. Med. 206, 2455–2467 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. St John, A. L. et al. Nature Mater. 11, 250–257 (2012).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Kool, M. et al. J. Exp. Med. 205, 869–882 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Janeway, C. A. Jr Cold Spring Harb. Symp. Quant. Biol. 54, 1–13 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Schuler, G. & Steinman, R. M. J. Exp. Med. 186, 1183–1187 (1997).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Matthias Gunzer is at the Institute of Experimental Immunology and Imaging, University Clinic Essen, 45117 Essen, Germany,

    Matthias Gunzer

Authors
  1. Matthias Gunzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Matthias Gunzer.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gunzer, M. Tailor-made mast-cell granules. Nature Mater 11, 181–182 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3257

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3257

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing