Mast cell differentiation depends on T cells and granule synthesis on fibroblasts.
Mast cell differentiation was generated in the following three experimental situations: (i) infection of mice with Schistosoma Mansoni or with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis and growth of the lymph node cells in the presence of the corresponding helminth antigen; (ii) immunization with horse serum and growth of blood and lymph node cells in the presence of the horse serum; (iii) exposure of T-cell-depleted suspensions of lymph node cells from unimmunized mice to T-cell factor (TCF) released into medium of the young cultures of (i) and (ii). This differentiation was also obtained when lymph node cells from athymic nude mice were exposed to TCF. The cell suspensions were plated on X-irradiated fibroblast monolayers prepared from embryonic mouse skin. Screening of the suspensions before plating on the fibroblasts in culture revealed no young forms of mast cells, and none were present in culture of nude mice lymph node cells maintained without TCF. Primordial appearance of metachromatic granules generally in the golgi zone was first seen in many 'large lymphoid cells' as early as 18 hr after plating. This was followed by increase in the cytoplasm volume, increase in granule number and mitosis, ending at 10-18 days with homogeneous populations of mature mast cells. When the mesenteric lymph node cells from mice infected with the helminths were grown in the absence of fibroblasts but in the presence of the antigen, homogeneous populations of cells with extended cytoplasm, filled with unstained vacuoles developed during days 7-13. These cells did not contain histamine (or at most 0.2 microgram per 10(6) vacuolated cells). When these cells were plated on fibroblast monolayers clear granule formation in all the vacuoles was seen 2 days later. It increased progressively in size and staining intensity, until the vacuoles transformed into typical mast cell granules. By the fourth day the vacuolated cells attained the typical mast cell morphology and the histamine content greatly increased (from 0.12 microgram per 10(6) vacuolated cells to 3.02 micrograms per 10(6) mast cells). These mast cells were readily degranulated by monoclonal anti-DNP-BSA IgE, and the antigen, releasing 90% of the histamine. The study shows that mucosal mast cells formation from 'large lymphoid-like' cells present in the blood and in the lymph, is stimulated by TCF. The condensation of the metachromatic material and histamine synthesis depends on other cells, presumably fibroblasts which comprise the principal cell in the embryonic skin monolayers. The mechanism of the fibroblast influence is not yet known.