Investigation of mast cell differentiation in vivo by use of monoclonal antibodies

In the present study mast cell differentiation/maturation was studied in vivo after depletion of mature mast cells from the peritoneal cavity by injection of distilled water. The reconstituting cell population was characterized by use of different staining methods. Additionally, the monoclonal antibody (MAb) IWF F2, which recognizes a membrane antigen of rat mast cells, was used to follow up mast cell differentiation/maturation in the course of the experiment. The antigen expression was studied both by immunofluorescence of antigen-bearing cells and by MAb inhibition of compound 48/80-stimulated histamine release from mast cells. In the course of the experiment the amount of antigen-positive cells increased continuously from less than 5% to control level (1st and 22nd days, respectively). The expression of the membrane antigen detectable by the MAb precedes the appearance of cytochemically identifiable mast cells for several days. The mast cells mature morphologically and functionally as indicated by increasing size, histamine content and MAb inhibition of compound 48/80-stimulated histamine release. The results obtained suggest the MAb IWF F2 to be a useful methodical tool for additional characterization of mast cell differentiation/maturation processes.