title: A kinetic analysis of the expression of mast cell protease mRNA in the intestines of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis-infected rats.
abstract: To study the kinetics and the phenotype of the mast cells (MC) arising during infection with the nematode Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, monospecific cDNA probes for nine different MC proteases were used in a Northern blot analysis of RNA from the small intestine of infected rats. The expression was analyzed at four individual time points during infection, day 0 (before infection), and days 7, 12 and 16 post infection. A dramatic increase in mRNA for rat mast cell protease (RMCP)-2, the major mucosal MC protease in the rat, was observed, beginning around day 7 after infection and peaking around day 12. At day 16 the expression was already beginning to decline. An almost identical pattern of mRNA expression was detected for the RMCP-8 subfamily of rat MC proteases (RMCP-8, -9 and -10) and for two additional rat serine proteases, the chymases RMCP-3 and -4. No simultaneous increase in the proteases known to be expressed preferentially by mature connective tissue MC (RMCP-1, -6 and -7) was observed. This is consistent with our finding that the expansion of MC in the intestines of parasite-infected animals was limited, almost exclusively, to the mucosal MC population. However, a minor increase in RMCP-5 and MC carboxypeptidase A (CPA) mRNA was detected at day 12 after infection, suggesting a derivation of mucosal MC from an expanding RMCP-5- and CPA-positive population of MC precursors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Uppsala, Biomedical Center, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lützelschwab
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lunderius
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Enerbäck
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hellman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002268:Carboxypeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D043422:Carboxypeptidases A; D053818:Chymases; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D009559:Nippostrongylus; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D017206:Strongylida Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D053802:Tryptases
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002268:Carboxypeptidases; D043422:Carboxypeptidases A; C109138:Mcpt9 protein, mouse; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053818:Chymases; C512639:Mcpt8 protein, mouse; C512640:Mcpt8 protein, rat; D053802:Tryptases