Human skin-derived mast cells can proliferate while retaining their characteristic functional and protease phenotypes.
Human mast cells in adult tissues have been thought to have limited, if any, proliferative potential. The current study examined mast cells obtained from adult skin and cultured in serum-free medium with recombinant human stem cell factor. During the first 4 weeks of culture, the percentages of mast cells increased from 10 to almost 100. After 8 weeks, a 150-fold increase in the number of mast cells was observed. When freshly dispersed mast cells were individually sorted onto human fibroblast monolayers and cultured for 3 weeks, one or more mast cells were detected in about two thirds of the wells, and in about two thirds of these wells the surviving mast cells showed evidence of proliferation, indicating most mast cells in skin can proliferate. Such mast cells all expressed high surface levels of Kit and Fc epsilon RI, each of which were functional, indicating IgE was not required for Fc epsilon RI expression on mast cells. Such mast cells also retained the MC(TC) protease phenotype of mast cells that normally reside in the dermis. After 4 to 8 weeks of culture these mast cells degranulated in response to substance P and compound 48/80, characteristics of skin-derived mast cells that persist outside of the cutaneous microenvironment. (Blood. 2001;97:2045-2052)
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0263, USA.
N
N
Kambe
M
M
Kambe
J P
JP
Kochan
L B
LB
Schwartz
D000328:Adult; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053818:Chymases; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000187:drug effects; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018189:Immunomagnetic Separation; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000502:physiology; D010641:Phenotype; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology*; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D013373:Substance P / Q000494:pharmacology; D053802:Tryptases; D003189:p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine / Q000494:pharmacology
D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D013373:Substance P; D003189:p-Methoxy-N-methylphenethylamine; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D053818:Chymases; D053802:Tryptases