title: Mast Cells Produce a Unique Chondroitin Sulfate Epitope.
abstract: The granules of mast cells contain a myriad of mediators that are stored and protected by the sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains that decorate proteoglycans. Whereas heparin is the GAG predominantly associated with mast cells, mast cell proteoglycans are also decorated with heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate (CS). This study investigated a unique CS structure produced by mast cells that was detected with the antibody clone 2B6 in the absence of chondroitinase ABC digestion. Mast cells in rodent tissue sections were characterized using toluidine blue, Leder stain and the presence of mast cell tryptase. The novel CS epitope was identified in rodent tissue sections and localized to cells that were morphologically similar to cells chemically identified as mast cells. The rodent mast cell-like line RBL-2H3 was also shown to express the novel CS epitope. This epitope co-localized with multiple CS proteoglycans in both rodent tissue and RBL-2H3 cultured cells. These findings suggest that the novel CS epitope that decorates mast cell proteoglycans may play a role in the way these chains are structured in mast cells.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia (BLF, JMW, ROG, MSL)
authors.forename: Brooke L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Farrugia
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia (BLF, JMW, ROG, MSL)
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Whitelock
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia (BLF, JMW, ROG, MSL)
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: O'Grady
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom (BC)
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caterson
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia (BLF, JMW, ROG, MSL)
authors.forename: Megan S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lord
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D008407:Mast Cells / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D011508:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycans; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates
keywords: chondroitin sulfate; endoglycosidase; glycosaminoglycan; mast cells; proteoglycans