Background: Myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as ME/CFS or simply ME) has severely impacted the lives of tens of millions of people globally, but the disease currently has no accurate diagnostic t...

Clarinet, Composition, and Engraving music services for composers. An advocate for new music and hosts an annual call for scores to perform music. Freelance music engraver / music engraving services...

Calculating Worth with Diminished Returns

To compete at iGEM, a sort of science Olympics, teens at a Georgia high school set their sights on finding a better way to detect and treat Lyme disease. Their approach uses CRISPR gene editing.

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Unraveling mechanisms underlying post-acute SARS-CoV-2 sequelae (long COVID) and finding therapeutic solutions require a full understanding of the causative role of SARS-CoV-2 persistence and/or infec...

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is characterized by elevated levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG), altered bowel habits, and increased pain sensitivity, suggesting immune dysregulation, but the exact mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found that FMS-IgG binds to mast cells in a MRGPRX2/b2-dependent manner, leading to mast cell recruitment and IL-6 secretion. Transferring serum-IgG from FMS patients to mice induced FMS-like symptoms and increased skin mast cells, indicating that FMS-IgG acts through mast cell activation. The ablation of mice Mrgprb2 mast cells or deleting Mrgprb2 receptors prevented IgG-induced heightened sensitivity to mechanical and cold stimuli. Stimulating human LAD2 cells with FMS IgG elicited MRGPRX2-dependent IL-6 production. Consistent with mice findings, mast cell density and tryptase levels increased in human FMS skin samples compared to healthy controls. Taken together our results suggests that FMS IgG mediates hypersensitivity via activation of mast cells bearing the MRGPRX2 receptor and that these cells are a potential therapeutic target. ### Competing Interest Statement X.D. is the scientific founder of and consultant for Escient Pharmaceuticals, a pharmaceutical company developing drugs targeting Mrgprs. X.D. collaborates with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) on Mrgpr-related projects unrelated to this manuscript. Other authors declare no competing interests. Howard Hughes Medical Institute, https://ror.org/006w34k90 Pain Relief Foundation, https://ror.org/0017mh436 Versus Arthritis, https://ror.org/02jkpm469, 22471

Background and purpose A proportion of individuals recovering from COVID-19 continue to experience persistent symptoms, including fatigue and cognitive difficulties — a syndrome commonly referred to a...