Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Mast Cells In Kainate Receptor Knockout Mice, Andrea J. Elkovich

Theses and Dissertations

Kainate receptor knockout mice have unique differences within their immune system. They exhibit an attenuated T_H2 branch, while maintaining a robust T_H1 response. Specifically, blocking the formation of functional kainate receptors affects mast cells and their related pathologies. While they seem to develop and activate normally in vivo and in vitro, KAR KO mast cells release more inflammatory mediators upon degranulation. These mice experience severe anaphylactic shock due to two compounding abnormalities. First, KAR KO mast cells release significantly more histamine in vivo upon IgE-mediated activation. Second, the animals over-respond to exogenous histamine with drastic …