scholarly journals Recombinant human stem cell factor (kit ligand) promotes human mast cell and melanocyte hyperplasia and functional activation in vivo.

1996 ◽  
Vol 183 (6) ◽  
pp. 2681-2686 ◽  
Author(s):  
J J Costa ◽  
G D Demetri ◽  
T J Harrist ◽  
A M Dvorak ◽  
D F Hayes ◽  
...  

Stem cell factor (SCF), also known as mast cell growth factor, kit ligand, and steel factor, is the ligand for the tyrosine kinase receptor (SCFR) that is encoded by the c-kit proto-oncogene. We analyzed the effects of recombinant human SCF (r-hSCF, 5-50 micrograms/kg/day, injected subcutaneously) on mast cells and melanocytes in a phase I study of 10 patients with advanced breast carcinoma. A wheal and flare reaction developed at each r-hSCF injection site; by electron microscopy, most dermal mast cells at these sites exhibited extensive, anaphylactic-type degranulation. A 14-d course of r-hSCF significantly increased dermal mast cell density at sites distant to those injected with the cytokine and also increased both urinary levels of the major histamine metabolite, methyl-histamine, and serum levels of mast cell alpha-tryptase. Five subjects developed areas of persistent hyperpigmentation at r-hSCF injection sites; by light microscopy, these sites exhibited markedly increased epidermal melanization and increased numbers of melanocytes. The demonstration that r-hSCF can promote both the hyperplasia and the functional activation of human mast cells and melanocytes in vivo has implications for our understanding of the role of endogenous SCF in health and disease. These findings also indicate that the interaction between SCF and its receptor represents a potential therapeutic target for regulating the numbers and functional activity of both mast cells and cutaneous melanocytes.

1992 ◽  
Vol 175 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
B K Wershil ◽  
M Tsai ◽  
E N Geissler ◽  
K M Zsebo ◽  
S J Galli

Interactions between products of the mouse W locus, which encodes the c-kit tyrosine kinase receptor, and the Sl locus, which encodes a ligand for c-kit receptor, which we have designated stem cell factor (SCF), have a critical role in the development of mast cells. Mice homozygous for mutations at either locus exhibit several phenotypic abnormalities including a virtual absence of mast cells. Moreover, the c-kit ligand SCF can induce the proliferation and maturation of normal mast cells in vitro or in vivo, and also can result in repair of the mast cell deficiency of Sl/Sld mice in vivo. We now report that administration of SCF intradermally in vivo results in dermal mast cell activation and a mast cell-dependent acute inflammatory response. This effect is c-kit receptor dependent, in that it is not observed when SCF is administered to mice containing dermal mast cells expressing functionally inactive c-kit receptors, is observed with both glycosylated and nonglycosylated forms of SCF, and occurs at doses of SCF at least 10-fold lower on a molar basis than the minimally effective dose of the classical dermal mast cell-activating agent substance P. These findings represent the first demonstration in vivo that a c-kit ligand can result in the functional activation of any cellular lineage expressing the c-kit receptor, and suggest that interactions between the c-kit receptor and its ligand may influence mast cell biology through complex effects on proliferation, maturation, and function.


1991 ◽  
Vol 174 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Tsai ◽  
L S Shih ◽  
G F Newlands ◽  
T Takeishi ◽  
K E Langley ◽  
...  

Mast cell development is a complex process that results in the appearance of phenotypically distinct populations of mast cells in different anatomical sites. Mice homozygous for mutations at the W or S1 locus exhibit several phenotypic abnormalities, including a virtual absence of mast cells in all organs and tissues. Recent work indicates that W encodes the c-kit tyrosine kinase receptor, whereas S1 encodes a c-kit ligand that we have designated stem cell factor (SCF). Recombinant or purified natural forms of the c-kit ligand induce proliferation of certain mast cell populations in vitro, and injection of recombinant SCF permits mast cells to develop in mast cell-deficient WCB6F1-S1/S1d mice. However, the effects of SCF on mast cell proliferation, maturation, and phenotype in normal mice in vivo were not investigated. We now report that local administration of SCF in vivo promotes the development of connective tissue-type mast cells (CTMC) in the skin of mice and that systemic administration of SCF induces the development of both CTMC and mucosal mast cells (MMC) in rats. Rats treated with SCF also develop significantly increased tissue levels of specific rat mast cell proteases (RMCP) characteristic of either CTMC (RMCP I) or MMC (RMCP II). These findings demonstrate that SCF can induce the expansion of both CTMC and MMC populations in vivo and show that SCF can regulate at least one cellular lineage that expresses c-kit, the mast cell, through complex effects on proliferation and maturation.


1998 ◽  
Vol 188 (12) ◽  
pp. 2343-2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Maurer ◽  
Bernd Echtenacher ◽  
Lothar Hültner ◽  
George Kollias ◽  
Daniela N. Männel ◽  
...  

Mast cells are thought to contribute significantly to the pathology and mortality associated with anaphylaxis and other allergic disorders. However, studies using genetically mast cell–deficient WBB6F1-KitW/KitW-v and congenic wild-type (WBB6F1-+/+) mice indicate that mast cells can also promote health, by participating in natural immune responses to bacterial infection. We previously reported that repetitive administration of the c-kit ligand, stem cell factor (SCF), can increase mast cell numbers in normal mice in vivo. In vitro studies have indicated that SCF can also modulate mast cell effector function. We now report that treatment with SCF can significantly improve the survival of normal C57BL/6 mice in a model of acute bacterial peritonitis, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). Experiments in mast cell–reconstituted WBB6F1-KitW/KitW-v mice indicate that this effect of SCF treatment reflects, at least in part, the actions of SCF on mast cells. Repetitive administration of SCF also can enhance survival in mice that genetically lack tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, demonstrating that the ability of SCF treatment to improve survival after CLP does not solely reflect effects of SCF on mast cell– dependent (or –independent) production of TNF-α. These findings identify c-kit and mast cells as potential therapeutic targets for enhancing innate immune responses.


Blood ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 90 (8) ◽  
pp. 2893-2900 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann M. Dvorak ◽  
John J. Costa ◽  
Ellen S. Morgan ◽  
Rita A. Monahan-Earley ◽  
Stephen J. Galli

AbstractStem cell factor (SCF ) has a major role in hematopoiesis and in the regulation of mast cell development and function. For example, recombinant human SCF (rhSCF ) can induce the development of human mast cells from precursor cells in vitro, stimulate mediator release from human skin mast cells in vitro, and promote both the development and functional activation of human skin mast cells in vivo. In the present study, we used a new ultrastructural enzyme-affinity method, employing diamine oxidase (DAO)-conjugated gold particles (DAO-gold), to detect histamine in skin biopsies obtained from patients with breast carcinomas who were receiving daily subcutaneous (SC) injections of rhSCF in a phase I study of this cytokine. We examined control biopsies obtained at sites remote from rhSCF injection as well as biopsies of rhSCF-injected skin that were obtained within 2 hours and 30 minutes of the SC injection of rhSCF at that site. The rhSCF-injected sites (which clinically exhibited a wheal-and-flare response), but not the control sites, contained mast cells undergoing regulated secretion by granule extrusion. The DAO-gold-affinity method detected histamine in electron-dense granules of mast cells in control and injected skin biopsies; however, the altered matrix of membrane-free, extruded mast cell granules was largely unreactive with DAO-gold. Notably, DAO-gold bound strongly to fibrin deposits and collagen fibers that were adjacent to degranulated mast cells. These findings represent the first morphologic evidence of histamine secretion by classical granule exocytosis in human mast cells in vivo.


Blood ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
D Rennick ◽  
B Hunte ◽  
G Holland ◽  
L Thompson-Snipes

Stem cell factor (SCF) possesses many mast cell-stimulating activities, including the ability to support the growth of mucosal-like mast cells (MMCs) and connective tissue mast cells (CTMCs). However, this study shows that, in the absence of accessory cells, SCF does not stimulate the clonal growth of primitive mast cell progenitors. Nevertheless, SCF exhibited potent growth-promoting effects when combined with the cytokines interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and interleukin- 10 (IL-10). Our comparative studies have shown that optimal mast cell colony formation occurs when both IL-4 and IL-10 are combined with SCF. However, in the presence of SCF, these two cofactors appear to mediate different effects. IL-4 was more efficient than IL-10 in costimulating the initiation of SCF-dependent colony formation by mast cell progenitors and in sustaining the proliferation of newly generated progeny. On the other hand, IL-4 was less efficient than IL-10 in supporting mast cell differentiation, as evidenced by morphology, cell enlargement, and granule production. Although the actions of IL-4 and IL-10 were not equivalent, additional experiments indicated that their ability to serve as early- and late-acting factors, respectively, were complimentary. We have also found that the mast cells generated in colonies stimulated by IL-4, IL-10, and SCF produced high levels of histamine (6–8 pg per cell). None of the mast cells generated in our cultures synthesized heparin. A phenotypic change from safranin- negative to safranin-positive cells associated with heparin-producing CTMCs was accomplished after coculture of the mast cells with fibroblast cell lines derived from normal mice or from SI/SId mice plus soluble factors. Collectively, our observations demonstrate that SCF acts as a competence factor for mast cell progenitor growth. In addition, the ability of SCF to support certain stages of mast cell differentiation is profoundly influenced by interactions with specific cofactors.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 103 (3) ◽  
pp. 860-867 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naotomo Kambe ◽  
Hidefumi Hiramatsu ◽  
Mika Shimonaka ◽  
Hisanori Fujino ◽  
Ryuta Nishikomori ◽  
...  

Abstract The transplantation of primitive human cells into sublethally irradiated immune-deficient mice is the well-established in vivo system for the investigation of human hematopoietic stem cell function. Although mast cells are the progeny of hematopoietic stem cells, human mast cell development in mice that underwent human hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has not been reported. Here we report on human mast cell development after xenotransplantation of human hematopoietic stem cells into nonobese diabetic severe combined immunodeficient \batchmode \documentclass[fleqn,10pt,legalpaper]{article} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amsmath} \pagestyle{empty} \begin{document} \((\mathrm{NOD{/}SCID}){/}{\gamma}_{\mathrm{c}}^{null}\) \end{document} (NOG) mice with severe combined immunodeficiency and interleukin 2 (IL-2) receptor γ-chain allelic mutation. Supported by the murine environment, human mast cell clusters developed in mouse dermis, but they required more time than other forms of human cell reconstitution. In lung and gastric tract, mucosal-type mast cells containing tryptase but lacking chymase located on gastric mucosa and in alveoli, whereas connective tissue-type mast cells containing both tryptase and chymase located on gastric submucosa and around major airways, as in the human body. Mast cell development was also observed in lymph nodes, spleen, and peritoneal cavity but not in the peripheral blood. Xenotransplantation of human hematopoietic stem cells into NOG mice can be expected to result in a highly effective model for the investigation of human mast cell development and function in vivo.


Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (6) ◽  
pp. 1887-1897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Quackenbush ◽  
Barry K. Wershil ◽  
Vincent Aguirre ◽  
Jose-Carlos Gutierrez-Ramos

Abstract Eotaxin is a potent chemoattractant for eosinophils during inflammation and allergic reactions in the adult, but its role in the embryonic development of the hematopoietic system has not been examined. We report here that eotaxin and its receptor, CCR-3, are expressed by embryonic tissues responsible for blood development, such as fetal liver (FL), yolk sac (YS), and peripheral blood. We found that eotaxin acts synergistically with stem cell factor to accelerate the differentiation of embryonic mast cell progenitors, and this response can be suppressed by pertussis toxin, an inhibitor of chemokine-induced signaling through Gi protein and chemotaxis. Eotaxin promotes the differentiation of fetal mast cell progenitors into differentiated mast cells as defined by the expression of mast cell specific proteases. Furthermore, in combination with stem cell factor (SCF), it promotes the growth of Mac-1+myeloid cells from embryonic progenitors. These studies suggest that eotaxin may be involved in the growth of granulocytic progenitors and the differentiation and/or function of mast cells during embryogenesis and/or pathological conditions that induce high levels of eotaxin, such as allergic responses. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.


Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 3419-3419
Author(s):  
Shinsuke Takagi ◽  
Yoriko Saito ◽  
Atsushi Hijikata ◽  
Satoshi Tanaka ◽  
Takashi Watanabe ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3419 Recently, advances in xenograft models for human hemamtopoietic stem cells (HSCs), or the humanized mice, have begun to allow investigators to examine the differentiation of human hematopoietic and immune cells in vivo. However, lymphoid-skewed human hematopoietic development in the mouse bone marrow is one of the remaining limitations in the humanized mouse models. The inefficient human myeloid development could at least partly be attributed to the mouse microenvironment not fully supporting differentiation and maturation of human myeloid lineage. To overcome this problem, we focused on the role of membrane-bound human stem cell factor in supporting the maintenance of human HSCs and inducing the development of human myeloid cells and created human stem cell factor transgenic NOD/SCID/IL2rgKO (hSCF Tg NSG) mice. Transplantation of 5000–50000 cord blood-derived Lin-CD34+CD38- cells resulted in significantly higher engraftment of human CD45+ leukocytes at 3–6 months post-transplantation in the bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood of hSCF Tg NSG recipients compared with those of non-transgenic NSG recipients. The enhanced human CD45+ engraftment was most prominent in the bone marrow (hSCF Tg recipients: 98.0 +/− 1.3%, n= 15, non-Tg NSG controls: 75.3 +/− 7.3%, n=7). In the bone marrow, the frequency of human CD33+ myeloid cells within the total human CD45+ population was significantly higher in the hSCF Tg NSG recipients than in the non-Tg NSG recipients and constituted the majority of human hematopoietic cells (hSCF Tg recipients: 54.6 +/− 4.5%, n=15 and non-Tg NSG controls: 29.3 +/− 4.0%, n=7). Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that the majority of engrafted human myeloid cells in the hSCF Tg recipient bone marrow were side-scatter high, HLA-DR negative granulocytes. Reflecting the effect of human SCF on the development of human mast cells, human c-Kit+CD203c+ mast cells were identified in the bone marrow, spleen, and gastrointestinal tracts of the hSCF Tg NSG recipients. Altogether, the in vivo humanized mouse model demonstrates the essential role of membrane-bound SCF in human myeloid development. The hSCF Tg NSG humanized mice may facilitate the in vivo investigation of human HSCs, myeloid progenitors and mature myeloid lineage. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


1995 ◽  
Vol 107 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 51-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen J. Galli ◽  
Mindy Tsai ◽  
Barry K. Wershil ◽  
See-Ying Tam ◽  
John J. Costa

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