title: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha- and interleukin-6-triggered mast cell development from mouse spleen cells.
abstract: We previously showed that interleukin-3 (IL-3) alone is not sufficient, although it is essential for murine mucosal-type mast cell development and that prostaglandin E (PGE) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) are critical for survival or differentiation of mast cell precursors. We also confirmed that IL-4 is a key inhibitor for mast cell precursors despite being a growth factor of mast cells. In the present work, mouse spleen cells were cultured with recombinant (r) IL-1 beta, rIL-5, rIL-6, rIL-9, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), stem cell factor (SCF), tumor transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the presence of endogenous IL-3. After 12 days of culture, mast cell development was induced by rIL-6 and rTNF-alpha, rIL-1 beta, rIL-5, rGM-CSF, rTGF-beta and even the mast cell growth factors, rIL-9 and rSCF, failed to induce mast cell development. However, unlike IL-9 and SCF, IL-6 and TNF-alpha did not promote the growth of mast cells already developed. Macrophage may be one of the responsive cells of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the cultures, because removal of macrophages greatly reduced the mast cell development induced by the cytokines. The actions of TNF-alpha and IL-6 were inhibited by indomethacin, an inhibitor for prostaglandin synthesis, and by neutralizing anti-IFN-gamma and anti-IL-3 antibodies. rIL-4, when added at the start of the culture, also inhibited mast cell development induced by rIL-6 and rTNF-alpha. Nevertheless, neutralizing anti-IL-6 and anti-TNF-alpha antibodies did not suppress mast cell development induced by PGE and IFN-gamma. TNF-alpha and IL-6 enhanced IFN-gamma production, but suppressed IL-4 production in the cultures. Mast cell numbers induced were inversely and directly proportional to IL-4 and IFN-gamma levels, respectively. These results indicate that inflammatory mediators as triggers are important for mast cell development although they are not the mast cell growth factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Z Q
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zenda
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimamura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha