Molecular mechanisms of mast cell development

Mast cells are progeny of multipotential hematopoietic stem cells (MHSCs). MHSCs commit to the mast cell lineage in the bone marrow, and the mast cell-committed progenitors leave the bone marrow, migrate in blood, invade connective or mucosal tissue, and then proliferate and differentiate to connective tissue-type or mucosal mast cells. GATA-1, GATA-2, and PU.1 transcription factors seem to be involved in the commitment to mast cells, and MITF, a basic helix-loop-helix leucine zipper-type transcription factor, seems to be involved in the migration, phenotypic expression, and survival of mast cells. KIT ligand (KITL) is the most important cytokine for development of mast cells, and KIT is the receptor of KITL. Tissues of loss-of-function mutants of KIT, KITL, or MITF are deficient in mast cells.