Reagin-like antibody mediated passive anaphylactic reaction in mouse peritoneal mast cells [formula omitted

Abstract

A cell-fixing, thermolabile, reagin-like antibody which is able to induce anaphylactic damage of the mast cells and has been called “mast cell sensitizing”, “anaphylactic” or “homocytotropic” antibody, has been found in the rat (1–5). In the mouse, we have observed active (6) and passive (7) anaphylactic reactions of the peritoneal mast cells in vitro , involving damage to the mast cells and release of histamine and of 5-hydroxytryptamine (8). Active and passive reactions seemed to be mediated by two different homologous antibodies. The passive reaction was mediated by the usual precipitating thermostable hyperimmune antibody, probably the 7S γl globulin characterized by Nussenzweig and col. (9). This antibody did not fix to the peritoneal mast cells (7). In contrast, the active reaction, which was obtained early after sensitization and only for a certain time, was mediated by an antibody which was firmly fixed to the mast cells (6). Mota and one of us (10) found in the serum of the actively sensitized mice an early and transient thermolabile antibody which had the capacity to fix to the homologous skin. The observation of the mouse skin mast cells after the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) reaction, however, did not reveal the characteristic mast cell disruption observed in the rat skin after PCA with the “mast cell sensitizing” antibody. Observations (11) upon the time course of production, in different experimental conditions, of the thermolabile skin-fixing antibody in the mouse serum and of the active anaphylactic sensitization of the peritoneal mast cells, suggested nevertheless the identity of the antibodies involved. The present results show that the thermolabile, reagin-like antibody produced in the mouse serum has the capacity to passively sensitize, after cellular attachment, the mouse peritoneal mast cells for anaphylactic damage and release of histamine.