title: Age-dependent phenotypic switching of mast cells in NGF-transgenic mice.
abstract: Effects of overexpression of nerve growth factor (NGF) on mast cell phenotype and numbers were investigated in nasal and oral mucosae and skin of 3- and 6-week-old transgenic mice in which NGF expression in epithelial basal cells was driven by the keratin-14 promoter. Mast cell phenotypes were identified by Alcian blue/safranin and berberine sulfate histochemistry. In the 3-week-old transgenic mice, NGF overexpression had no effect on phenotype except in tongue, where mast cells exhibited mixed or connective tissue phenotypes compared with the mucosal phenotype in the non-transgenic. In 6-week-old transgenic animals, NGF overexpression resulted in the mucosal phenotype in tissues which contained connective tissue or mixed mast cells in non-transgenics. Mast cell hyperplasia occurred at both ages. NGF effects on mast cell phenotype were age-dependent and involve complex microenvironmental interactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington 40536, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Getchell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kulkarni-Narla
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takami
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Albers
authors.forename: T V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: Getchell
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008407:Mast Cells; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009055:Mouth / Q000378:metabolism; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D012867:Skin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors