Infection of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis induces normal increase of
basophils in mast cell-deficient Ws/Ws rats with a small deletion at the
kinase domain of c-kit
T Kasugai, M Okada, M Morimoto, N Arizono, K Maeyama, M Yamada, H Tei, K Dohmae, H Onoue and GF Newlands
Department of Pathology, Medical School, Osaka University, Japan.
All basophils, mucosal-type mast cells (MMC) and connective tissue-type
mast cells (CTMC) are derived from the multipotential hematopoietic stem
cell. Mutations at the c-kit locus resulted in deficiency of MMC and CTMC
in both mice and rats. To investigate the role of the c-kit receptor
tyrosine kinase for production of basophils, we used white spotting/white
spotting (Ws/Ws) mutant rats that have a small deletion at the tyrosine
kinase domain of the c-kit gene. When Ws/Ws, nude athymic, and normal (+/+)
rats were infected with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (NB), the number of
basophils increased greater than 50- fold in the peripheral blood of Ws/Ws
and +/+ rats but did not increase in that of nude rats. Blood histamine
concentration increased significantly in Ws/Ws and +/+ rats but did not
increase in nude rats. Immature basophils increased greater than 10-fold in
the bone marrow of Ws/Ws and +/+ rats but did not increase in that of nude
rats. Mature and immature basophils that developed after the NB infection
were identified by electron microscopy. The present result confirms that T-
cell-derived cytokines are indispensable for the augmented production of
basophils and suggests that stimulation via the c-kit receptor may not be
necessary for the augmented production.
Volume 81,
Issue 10,
pp. 2521-2529,
05/15/1993
Copyright © 1993 by The American Society of Hematology
