Type I Interferons Attenuate T Cell Activating Functions of Human Mast Cells by Decreasing TNF-α Production and OX40 Ligand Expression While Increasing IL-10 Production

Recent studies have demonstrated that mast cells not only mediate inflammatory reactions in type I allergy but also play an important role in adaptive immunity. In the present study, we investigated the effects of interferon-α, which shares the same receptor as IFN-β, on human cord blood-derived mast cells. Mast cells produced TNF-α, and IL-10, and expressed OX40 ligand upon activation by crosslinking of FceRI. When treated with interferon-α ,T NF-α production was decreased while IL10 and TGF-β productions were increased. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis revealed that interferon-α downregulated expression OX40 ligand on mast cells which is crucial for mast cell-T cell interaction. We confirmed that the viability of mast cells was not affected by interferon-α treatment. Accordingly, interferon-α-treated mast cells induced lower levels of CD4 +