Mouse connective tissue mast cell proteome

Mast cells are hematopoietic cells that reside preferentially in tissues exposed to internal and external environments. Mast cells sense immunological, inflammatory and environmental stimuli, and can be activated to release granules and generate inflammatory mediators. Mast cell-derived products confer protection against snake venoms and some parasite infections. Aberrant activation of mast cells is a major contributor to human pathology, including allergy, asthma and adverse drug reactions. Their strict tissue location has largely impeded the isolation of large numbers of primary mast cell for further analysis. To better understand the biology of mast cells, we analyzed the proteome of primary mouse mast cells by quantitative mass spectrometry