Histamine production during the anti-allograft response. Demonstration of a new lymphokine enhancing histamine synthesis

Abstract

Histamine production is greatly increased during culture of allograft recipient spleen cells in the presence of immunizing cells (secondary mixed leukocyte cultures [MLC]) as compared to that found in primary MLC (i.e., without previous allograft). This phenomenon appears after 24 h of culture and reaches its maximum at 48 h. Optimal increased histamine production is observed when MLC is performed with spleen cells removed from mice during rejection. This increased production of histamine during secondary MLC results from the action of a lymphokine: the histamine-producing cell stimulating factor (HCSF). This factor is released by T lymphocytes. Its production requires specific stimulation of the recipient lymphocytes because increase in histamine production during secondary MLC can be only observed when recipient cells are cultured with stimulating cells bearing at least one homology at K or D loci with immunizing cells. HCSF acts on a cell which is present in bone marrow, spleen, blood, and peritoneal cells but absent in thymus or lymph node cells. This target cell is found in the less-dense layer of a discontinuous Ficoll-gradient of bone marrow cells. HCSF is heat stable, destroyed by trypsin treatment, and has a molecular weight between 50,000 and 100,000. It acts on its target cells by increasing histidine decarboxylase activity.

Histamine in Allergic Inflammation and Immune Modulation

“…Remarkably, other cells in the immune system which do not store histamine show high histidine decarboxylase activity and are capable of production of high amounts of histamine, which is secreted immediately after synthesis [37, 38]. These cells include platelets, monocytes/macrophages, DCs, neutrophils and T and B cells [39, 40].…”

Partial Separation and Functional Characterization of Guinea Pig Basophil-Stimulating Factor

“…Histamine increases in vitro by murine mast cell lines have been reported by others [15][16][17][18], in some cases in response to supernatants derived from mixed lym phocyte cultures [29,31]. The precise relationship of guinea pig basophils grown in our cultures to murine metachromatic, histamine-containing cell lines is, however, unclear; it is likely that guinea pig basophil growth and differentiation is regulated by a factor dis tinct from IL 3 as is the case in man [23].…”

Non-IgG1 Nature of Cutaneous Basophil Hypersensitivity Factor in Contact Sensitivity

“…Characteri zation of the lymphocyte products is under investiga tion in our laboratory. Recent reports have suggested production of histamine-releasing factor or basophil chemotactic factors by mitogen or antigen-stimulated lymph node cells [24][25][26], But whether these factors consist of single molecules with different activities still remains unclear. Chemotactic oligopeptides have been reported to have both basophil chemotactic ac tivity and histamine-releasing activity [27], These studies suggest that both chemotaxis and histamine release are mediated by a single receptor.…”