Role of Zinc Signaling in Mast Cell, Basophil, T Cell, and B Cell

Zinc is an essential heavy metal that plays an important role in nucleic acid metabolism, cell replication, and tissue growth and repair, and its deficiency is associated with a variety of disorders. Zinc directly affects the activity of several signaling molecules and of transcription factors that have a zinc-binding motif. However, it has not been clearly shown whether zinc itself acts as an intracellular signaling molecule like calcium. Several groups have presented evidence that zinc does indeed act as an intracellular signaling molecule, converting extracellular stimuli to intracellular signals and controlling various cell functions. This chapter summarizes our current understanding of zinc signaling, especially with regard to Zinc wave and the role of zinc signaling in Fc receptors and T- and B-cell antigen receptors, and discusses how these processes contribute to cytokine production.