title: [Reconstitution of mast cell population in gastrointestinal tract by bone marrow transplantation in mast cell deficient rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore whether bone marrow transplantation (BMT) can restore gastrointestinal mast cells in mast cell deficient (Ws/Ws) rats and understand the features of these reconstituted mast cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six Ws/Ws rats were subjected to Co(60) radiation at 6 gradient doses (6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0 and 11.0 Gy, n = 6) to confirm the appropriate dosage. And another 6 rats served as non-radiated controls. Sixteen Ws/Ws rats were exposed to a 7.5 Gy radiation and sacrificed at Day 1, 5, 8 and 12 (n = 4) to obtain hemogram and myelogram. And 4 non-radiated Ws/Ws rats served as control. Ws/Ws rats received an intravenous injection of bone marrow cells harvested from healthy congenic Brown Norway (BN) rats after a dosage of 7.5 Gy radiation. Y-chromosome fluorescence in situ hybridization (Y-FISH) was used to identify the survival and differentiation of bone marrow cells of male BN rats in female BMT-Ws/Ws rats (n = 4). Another set of 24 male BMT-Ws/Ws rats were sacrificed Weeks 5, 8, 13 and 23 post-BMT (n = 6). Tissues from esophagus, stomach, ileum and colon were harvested to perform mast cell quantification by Alcian blue staining. And mast cell derived proteinases (tryptase and chymase) were quantified by Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Y-FISH showed bone marrow cells from male BN rats survived in female BMT-Ws/Ws rats and mast cells were restored in gastrointestinal tract. Compared with control, the highest level of mast cell number (103 ± 6) vs (35 ± 4)/mm(2) for esophagus, (271 ± 23) vs (124 ± 13)/mm(2) for stomach, (200.1 ± 13.3) vs (103.2 ± 6.6)/mm(2), all P < 0.05) and mast cell proteinases (1.3 ± 0.3 vs 0.6 ± 0.2 for esophagus, 3.6 ± 0.8 vs 1.9 ± 0.4 for ileum, both P < 0.05) in BMT-Ws/Ws rats were observed at Week 8 post-BMT. The number of mast cell and proteinases decreased at Week 13 post-BMT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BMT may restore mast cells in Ws/Ws rats. The best time period for using BMT-Ws/Ws rats in the study of mast cell function is between Weeks 8-13 post-BMT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China.
authors.forename: Chan-juan
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Chang-qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Email: duanlp@bjmu edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li-ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Shu-pei
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Kuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D020296:Animals, Congenic; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D005260:Female; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000166:cytology*; D008297:Male; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D051381:Rats; D011914:Rats, Inbred BN