Mast cells are immune cells of the haematopoietic lineage that are now thought to have multifaceted functions during homeostasis and in various disease states. Furthermore, while mast cells have been known for a long time to contribute to allergic disease in adults, recent studies, mainly in mice, have highlighted their early origins during fetal development and potential for immune functions, including allergic responses, in early life. Our understanding of the imprinting of mast cells by particular tissues of residence and their potential for regulatory interactions with organ systems such as the peripheral immune, nervous and vascular systems is also rapidly evolving. Here, we discuss the origins of mast cells and their diverse and plastic phenotypes that are influenced by tissue residence. We explore how divergent phenotypes and functions might result from both their hard-wired ‘nature’ defined by their ontogeny and the ‘nurture’ they receive within specialized tissue microenvironments.

肥大细胞是造血谱系的免疫细胞，现在被认为在体内平衡和各种疾病状态下具有多方面的功能。此外，虽然长期以来已知肥大细胞会导致成人过敏性疾病，但最近主要在小鼠中进行的研究强调了它们在胎儿发育过程中的早期起源以及免疫功能的潜力，包括生命早期的过敏反应。我们对特定居住组织对肥大细胞的印记及其与器官系统（如外周免疫系统、神经系统和血管系统）的调节相互作用的潜力的理解也在迅速发展。在这里，我们讨论了肥大细胞的起源及其受组织驻留影响的多样化和可塑性表型。