Capacity of mouse mast cells to prime T cells and to induce specific antibody responses in vivo

Citation
I. Villa et al., Capacity of mouse mast cells to prime T cells and to induce specific antibody responses in vivo, IMMUNOLOGY, 102(2), 2001, pp. 165-172
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Immunology
Journal title
IMMUNOLOGY
ISSN journal
00192805 → ACNP
Volume
102
Issue
2
Year of publication
2001
Pages
165 - 172
Database
ISI
SICI code
0019-2805(200102)102:2<165:COMMCT>2.0.ZU;2-1
Abstract
Mouse, human and rat mast cells have been shown to express major histocompa tibility complex II molecules and present antigens to specific T-cell hybri domas in vitro. The purpose of our investigation was to determine whether m ouse mast cells are able to initiate specific immune responses in vivo. Ind uction of anti-dinitrophenyl (DNP) immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) and IG2a antibo dies was performed by transferring ovalbumin (OVA)-DNP-pulsed bone marrow-d erived mast cells (BMMC), B cells, or macrophages into naive mice which wer e boosted later with soluble antigen. Cultured spleen cells from immunized mice were tested for their cytokine content. Our data show that mast cells were by far better inducers of anti-DNP IgG1 antibodies than were B cells a nd macrophages. In contrast, anti-DNP IgG2a response induced by macrophages was much stronger than that obtained with mast cells whereas B cells were completely unable to elicit this response. In addition to a high index of c ell proliferation. spleen cells from mast cell-injected mice produced more interferon-gamma than those mice who received macrophages or B cells by two - to fivefold, and almost 10-fold, respectively. Mast cell-deficient W-f/W- f mice were compared with their normal +/+ littermates and with mast cell-r econstituted W-f/W-f mice to develop delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) re actions as well as humoral immune responses. Mast cell sufficient mice as w ell as mast cell-reconstituted W-f/W-f mice developed significantly increas ed DTH reactions (P=0.02, and 0.03, repectively) and higher anti-OVA-specif ic antibody responses as compared with W-f/W-f mice. Our data suggest that mast cells have the potential to up-regulate both humoral and cellular immu ne responses in vivo.