Abstract
Mast cells are responsible for type I allergy. These cells are packed with secretory granules containing allergy-inducing substances, such as histamine and proteases. Once an allergen binds to an IgE–receptor complex at thecell surface, the secretory granules fuse with the cell membrane, and release their contents into the external environ-ment within a few minutes. This is called “degranulation”,but the process and mechanism are still controversial. Tovisualize degranulation, various and unique imaging methods have been investigated by many researchers. In thepresent review, we abstract and introduce the recent progress of live cell imaging strategy for visualization of secreto-ry granules of live mast cells.
