title: Suggestive evidence for a direct innervation of mucosal mast cells.
abstract: Mast cells are often observed near nerves and functional evidence suggests an innervation of these cells. In the present ultrastructural study, nerve terminals containing many small clear vesicles and a few large vesicles with dense matrix were observed in direct contact with the plasma membrane of mucosal mast cells in the rat ileum, strongly suggestive of a direct innervation.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000294:innervation* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007082:Ileum / Q000294:innervation* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009420:Nervous System / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats