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PubMed · 42409601

Mast Cells Selectively Deliver Extracellular Vesicle-Encapsulated mRNA to Colorectal Cancer Cells.

Rosie Lanzloth·Bader El Farran·Ram Podicheti·Douglas B Rusch·Heather M O'Hagan
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Abstract

Mast cells (MCs), a type of granulocytic immune cell, exert contrasting effects on tumorigenesis. The anti- or pro-tumorigenic activity of MCs depends on the cancer type, tumor microenvironment, and MC localization within the tumor. Consequently, their role remains controversial and poorly understood across multiple cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC). Most proposed mechanisms underlying MC activity in CRC have focused on MC secretion of biological factors. In this study, we demonstrated that MCs transfer extracellular vesicles containing mRNAs and proteins to CRC cells. This process occurs through a tightly regulated mechanism that requires direct cell-cell contact, calcium signaling, and integrin-mediated interactions. Such requirements resemble aspects of immunological synapses observed between lymphocytes and cancer cells. The novel mode of intercellular communication between MCs and cancer cells described here may help refine our understanding of MC functions in cancer biology.

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Mast CellsHumansExtracellular VesiclesColorectal NeoplasmsRNA, MessengerCell CommunicationCell Line, TumorAnimalsTumor MicroenvironmentCalcium Signalingcolorectal cancerextracellular vesiclesmRNAmast cellsJournal Article

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Rosie Lanzloth, Bader El Farran, Ram Podicheti, Douglas B Rusch, Heather M O'Hagan. 2026-07-06. Mast Cells Selectively Deliver Extracellular Vesicle-Encapsulated mRNA to Colorectal Cancer Cells.. https://doi.org/10.1111/imcb.70147

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Putative function and prognostic molecular marker of mast cells in colorectal cancer.

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PubMed2024

Mast cells proliferate in the peri-hippocampal space during early development and modulate local and peripheral immune cells.

Brain development is a non-linear process of regionally specific epochs occurring during windows of sensitivity to endogenous and exogenous stimuli. We have identified an epoch in the neonatal rat brain defined by a transient population of peri-hippocampal mast cells (phMCs) that are abundant from birth through 2-weeks post-natal but absent thereafter. The phMCs are maintained by proliferation and harbor a unique transcriptome compared with mast cells residing in the skin, bone marrow, or other brain regions. Pharmacological activation of this population broadly increases blood-brain barrier permeability, recruits peripheral immune cells, and stunts local microglia proliferation. Examination of the post-mortem human brain demonstrated mast cells in the peri-hippocampal region of a newborn, but not an older infant, suggesting a similar developmental period exists in humans. Mast cells specifically, and early-life inflammation generally, have been linked to heightened risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, and these results demonstrate a plausible source of that risk.

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