title: Enzyme histochemistry of tryptase in stomach mucosal mast cells of the mouse.
abstract: We investigated the histochemical characteristics of mast cell tryptase in different mouse tissues. By use of peptide substrates, tryptase activity could be demonstrated in unfixed connective tissue mast cells in different tissues, including the stomach. Tryptase activity was better localized after aldehyde fixation and frozen sectioning, and under such conditions was also demonstrated in mucosal mast cells of the stomach but not in those of the gut mucosa. Double staining by enzyme histochemistry followed by toluidine blue indicated that the tryptase activity was present only in mast cells and that all mast cells in the stomach mucosa contained the enzyme. The peptide substrates z-Ala-Ala-Lys-4-methoxy-2-naphthylamide and z-Gly-Pro-Arg-4-methoxy-2-naphthlyamide, which are substrates of choice for demonstrating tryptase in other species, were most effective for demonstrating mouse tryptase. The use of protease inhibitors further indicated that activity present in all mast cells was tryptase. Safranin O did not stain stomach mucosal mast cells, suggesting that the tryptase present in these cells was active in the absence of heparin sulfate proteoglycan.
authors.affiliation: Secretory and Soft Tissue Research Unit, Guy's, King's, and St Thomas' School of Dentistry, The Rayne Institute, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Valchanov
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Proctor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053818:Chymases; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000276:immunology; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D006493:Heparin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000201:enzymology*; D051379:Mice; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D013270:Stomach / Q000276:immunology; D016707:Tissue Fixation; D053802:Tryptases
chemical_list: D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D011509:Proteoglycans; C509190:Tpsb2 protein, mouse; C036090:heparin proteoglycan; D006493:Heparin; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C083294:chymase 2; D053818:Chymases; C509222:Tpsab1 protein, mouse; D053802:Tryptases