In vitro and in vivo studies: a thorny pathway

Chugunova, E., 2004. Biological function of mast cell chymase mMCP-4. In vitro and in vivo studies: a thorny pathway. Doctor's dissertation. ISSN 1401-6257, ISBN 91-576-6680-6 Mast cells (MCs) are key effector cells in various types of inflammatory conditions. The MC secretory granules contain inflammatory mediators such as histamine, heparin proteoglycan (PG), cytokines and various heparin-binding proteases, including tryptases, chymases and carboxypeptidase A. Previously, a mouse strain with a defect in its heparin biosynthesis was produced by targeting the gene for NDST-2 (N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase-2). These mice showed reduced levels of MC inflammatory mediators such as histamine and various heparin-binding proteases, including chymases, tryptases, and carboxypeptidase A. By using this mouse strain, we found that chymase in complex with heparin PG degraded fibronectin, suggesting a role for chymase in the regulation of connective tissue composition. Further, we found that chymase/heparin PG complexes degraded an