IMBIM collaboration explains how mast cells can differentiate between invasive and extracellular bacteria

Mast cells are famous for their involvement in allergic responses. But, in recent years, it has also become evident that these innate immune cells act as sentinels that warn the body about intruding microbes. A new collaborative study that involves the Hallgren-Martinsson, Pejler, and Sellin groups at IMBIM, and colleagues at Umeå University, now reveals that mast cells can integrate several modes of sensing to detect how dangerous an infecting bacterium is, and tune their inflammatory output accordingly. The study, with IMBIM PhD student Christopher von Beek as first author, is published on January 30th in Nature Communications, and can be found in full here