In order to characterize the phenotype of human mast cell precursors in the peripheral blood mononuclear fraction and its alterations during in vivo mast cell differentiation, cells were studied before and during culture with stem cell factor or stem cell factor-containing cell supernatants. Prior to culture, 86% of cells were immunoreactive for the monocytic marker CD14, slightly fewer for CD11b and CD64, < 10% expressed FcepsilonRIalpha, rare cells were CD34 + ( < 0,1%), and none stained for CD1, CD33, c-Kit, and tryptase. After 2 wk of culture, there was de novo expression of c-Kit (14% - 43% positive cells), tryptase (26% - 79%), CD33 (57%), and CD64 (64%), an upregulation of FcepsilonRIalpha (23% - 52%), CD11b (93%), and CD68 (95%), but no expression of CD34. Levels of mRNA for FcepsilonRIalpha and c-Kit were detectable prior to culture and increased during culture, together with de novo expression of tryptase. Double staining after 2 wk of culture showed that FcepsilonRIalpha-positive cells were mostly CD14 + (90%), CD64 + (82%), and CD68 + (52%) on flow cytometry. Intracellular tryptase activity was first detectable after 1 wk of culture, increased FcepsilonRIalpha expression was only detectable by week 2. Cultured cells acquired the ability to release histamine during IgE-dependent stimulation, and culture with the c-Kit antibody YB5.B8 resulted in a downregulation of tryptase and FcepsilonRIalpha, but not of c-Kit. These data show that human mast cells develop from c-Kit- and tryptase-negative precursors in the myelomonocytic fraction of peripheral blood and that they upregulate, maintain, and share many phenotypic characteristics of cells from the monocyte/macrophage lineage during early phases of in vitro differentiation.
Keywords: c-kit/FcepsilonRI/SCF/tryptase.