Mouse splenic and bone marrow cell populations that express high-affinity Fcε receptors and produce interleukin 4 are highly enriched in basophils

Robert A. Seder, William E. Paul, Ann M. Dvorak, Saul J. Sharkis, Anne Kagey-Sobotka, Yaffa Niv, Fred D. Finkelman, Susan A. Barbieri, Stephen J. Galli, Marshall Plaut

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

234 Scopus citations

Abstract

Splenic and bone marrow cells from normal mice, and from mice that have been polyclonally activated by injection of anti-IgD antibody, contain cells that produce interleukin 4 (IL-4) in response to crosslinkage of Fcε receptors (FcεR) or FcγR or to ionomycin. Isolated FcεR+ cells have recently been shown to contain all of the IL-4-producing capacity of the nonlymphoid compartment of spleen and bone marrow. Here, purified FcεR+ cells are shown to be enriched in cells that contain histamine and express alcian blue-positive cytoplasmic granules. By electron microscopy, the vast majority of cytoplasmic granule-containing cells are basophils; they constitute ≈25% and ≈50%, respectively, of FcεR+ spleen and bone marrow cells from anti-IgD-injected mice. The FcεR- populations contain cells that form colonies typical of mast cells. The FcεR+ populations also contain cells that, upon culture with IL-3, form colonies of alcian blue-positive cells, but (in contrast to colonies derived from FcεR- populations) the colonies are small, and all the cells die within 2-3 weeks. The FcεR+ cells synthesize histamine during a 60-hr culture with IL-3, while the FcεR- cells do not. These results indicate that IL-4-producing FCεR+ cells are highly enriched in basophils.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2835-2839
Number of pages5
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume88
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 1991
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Histamine
  • Immunoglobulin E
  • Mast cell

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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