Calcium signals in rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells primed with theneuropeptide substance P

Communication between nerves and mast cells is a prototypic demonstration o f neuroimmune interaction. have recently shown that direct nerve-mast cell cross-talk can occur in the absence of an intermediary transducing cell and that the neuropeptide substance P is an important mediator of this communi cation. Here we study the calcium signals in rat basophilic leukemia cells (RBL-2H3; mucosal-type mast cells) primed with substance P. RBL cells respo nded only slightly to stimulation with compound 48/80, however they respond ed to the stimulation when the cells had been primed with substance P (0.5 mum) for one week. The present results provide a foundation to study the ne uroimmune cross-talk in a co-culture system.