Deficient differentiation of mast cells in the skin of mi/mi mice. Usefulness of in situ hybridization for evaluation of mast cell phenotype.
The staining property of skin mast cells changed from Alcian blue+/berberine sulfate- to Alcian blue+/berberine sulfate+ in the skin of normal (+/+) and Wv/Wv mice. In contrast, this change did not occur in the skin of mi/mi mice. Heparin content and histamine content per a mi/mi skin mast cell were estimated to be 34% and 18% those of a +/+ skin mast cell, respectively. The low heparin content of mi/mi skin mast cells seemed to be consistent with the Alcian blue+/berberine sulfate- staining property. Expression of genes encoding mast cell-specific proteolytic enzymes was examined by Northern blotting and in situ hybridization. Messenger RNA of mast cell carboxypeptidase A was expressed most of all by +/+, Wv/Wv, and mi/mi skin mast cells, but mRNA of mouse mast cell protease (MMCP)-6 was expressed by approximately a half of +/+ and Wv/Wv skin mast cells and by only 3% of mi/mi skin mast cells. A significant amount of MMCP-2 mRNA was not expressed in the skin of all +/+, Wv/Wv and mi/mi mice. This shows the presence of at least three phenotypes in skin mast cells of mice: berberine sulfate+/MMCP-6+, berberine sulfate+/MMCP-6-, and berberine sulfate-/MMCP-6-. The in situ hybridization of mRNA of mast cell-specific proteolytic enzymes seemed to be useful to describe abnormalities of mast cell differentiation in the skin of mi/mi mice.
Kasugai
T
T
Department of Pathology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Oguri
K
K
Jippo-Kanemoto
T
T
Morimoto
M
M
Yamatodani
A
A
Yoshida
K
K
Ebi
Y
Y
Isozaki
K
K
Tei
H
H
Tsujimura
T
T
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D006493:Heparin / Q000032:analysis; D006632:Histamine / Q000032:analysis; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*
D006632:Histamine; D006493:Heparin