Abstract
Mast cells originate from pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. Two mast cell specific antibodies, mAbsAA4 and BGD6, have previously been used to identify and study committed mast cell precursors (MCcps) in the bone marrow of adult mice and rats. However, the embryonic origin of MCcps is still not known. In the present study, we identified MCcps in rat embryos using these previously characterized mast cell specific antibodies. The MCcps were found in the AGM (aorta-gonad-mesonephros) region of rat embryos at E11.5. These cells were BGD6+, CD34+, c-kit+, CD13+, FcεRI−, AA4− CD40−, and Thy-1−. By PCR the cells contained message for the α and β subunits of FcεRI and mast cell specific proteases. In vitro, the MCcps differentiated into metachromatic mast cells. With age of gestation the percent of MCcps diminished while the percent of mast cell progenitors increased. An increased knowledge of the biology and embryonic origin of mast cells may contribute to a greater understanding of allergy, asthma, and other mast cell related diseases.
Highlights
Mast cells are well known for their involvement in inflammation and allergy [1], and have been recently recognized for their regulatory role in innate and adaptive immunity [2,3,4]
BGD6+ cells appear at 11.5 days of gestation in the AGM region of rat embryos
From E7.5 through E10.5 cells immunolabeled with mAbAA4 or mAb BGD6 were only found in the maternal decidua surrounding the embryo and close to blood vessels near Reichert’s membrane which separates trophoblast cells on the uterine side and parietal endoderm cells on the embryonic side
Summary
Mast cells are well known for their involvement in inflammation and allergy [1], and have been recently recognized for their regulatory role in innate and adaptive immunity [2,3,4]. The mAbAA4 recognizes two derivatives of the ganglioside GD1b [9,10] that are unique to rodent mast cells [7,8,11,12], while mAb BGD6 binds to a 110 kDa protein on the surface of rodent mast cells [7,8]. Both mAbAA4 and mAbBGD6 bind to granulated mast cells in all stages of maturation. Both mAbAA4 and mAbBGD6 bind to granulated mast cells in all stages of maturation. mAbBGD6, a mast cell lineage marker, binds to the MCcp [7,8,13]
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