Decrease of mast cells in W/Wv mice and their increase by bone marrow transplantation.
Production of tissue mast cells was evaluated in genetically anemic mice of W/Wv genotype and was found to be abnormal. In the skin of adult W/Wv mice the number of mast cells/cm was less than 1% of the number observed in the congeneic +/+ mice. No mast cells were detectable in other tissues of the W/Wv mice. After transplantation of bone marrow cells from +/+ mice the number of mast cells in the skin, stomach, caecum, and mesentery of the W/Wv mice increased to levels similar to those of the +/+ mice. These results show that the W/Wv mouse is a useful tool for the investigations concerning the physiologic roles and the origin of mast cells.
D000748:Anemia, Macrocytic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002452:Cell Count; D002455:Cell Division; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains / Q000235:genetics*; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous