Histamine Release from Isolated Rat Mast Cells in Metal Ion-Free Medium*

Datura stramonium agglutinin released histamine from rat peritoneal mast cells that was inhibited by pertussis toxin, haptenic sugar and N-acetylglucosamine-specific lectins: involvement of glycoproteins with N-acetylglucosamine residues

The N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc)-specific lectin Datura stramonium agglutinin (DSA) rapidly and sugar-specifically released histamine from rat peritoneal mast cells, and pertussis toxin (IAP) inhibited it, suggesting that DSA activated mast cells via an IAP-sensitive G protein pathway. The additive effects of DSA and basic secretagogues such as compound 48/80 that activate IAP-sensitive G protein directly suggest that they shared the same mechanism of action including involvement of the IAP-sensitive G protein. Using lectin-blotting, blots of the corresponding glycoproteins detected by DSA diminished by haptenic sugar or pretreatment of the cells with N-glycosidase F, suggesting that the binding of DSA was responsible for the mast cell activation. The other GlcNAc-specific lectins such as Phytolacca americana mitogen, Solanum tuberosum agglutinin and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) inhibited the histamine release induced by DSA, suggesting that these lectins were antagonists, but DSA was an agonist. Sialic acid-specific Macckia amurensis mitogen (MAM) inhibited the histamine release, and neuraminidase-treatment decreased mast cell activation induced by DSA. At least four mast cell glycoproteins that have affinity to DSA, WGA and MAM and are sensitive to neuraminidase-treatment were detected by lectin-blotting. Some of them may be binding sites coupled to histamine release including the IAP-sensitive G protein pathway. DSA is a useful tool for studying signal transduction of mast cells including the involvement of the IAP-sensitive G protein.

Inhibitory effects of sialic acid- or N-acetylglucosamine-specific lectins on histamine release induced by compound 48/80, bradykinin and a polyethylenimine in rat peritoneal mast cells

The effects of seven lectins with various sugar-specificities on histamine release from rat peritoneal mast cells induced by non-immunologic stimuli were studied. The non-immunologic stimuli used were three basic secretagogues, compound 48/80, bradykinin and PEI6 (polyethylenimine with a molecular weight of 600). In this study, we observed inhibition of the histamine release by Macckia amurensis mitogen and Solanum tuberosum agglutinin (100 micrograms/ml at 37 degrees C for 10 min), which are specific for sialic acid-alpha 2,3-N-acetyl galactosamine (Sia alpha 2,3GalNAc) and N-acetyl glucosamine (GlcNAc) oligomers, respectively. The effects of Phytolacca americana mitogen and Sambucus sieboldiana agglutinin were different. Three lectins specific for mucin type oligosaccharides inhibited the histamine release induced by compound 48/80 but not that induced by bradykinin or PEI6. Since bradykinin and PEI6 additively enhanced the histamine release induced by compound 48/80, they partially shared the same signalling pathways. Glycoproteins with bisecting GlcNAc and Sia residues, as described previously (Jpn. J. Pharmacol. 57, 79-90, 1991), seemed to be one of the action sites for compound 48/80, bradykinin and PEI6. In addition to the direct activation of the pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins, we propose another mechanism of non-immunologic stimuli via specific glycoproteins on rat peritoneal mast cells. The apparent sugar residues involved were asparagine-linked oligosaccharides with Sia (especially Sia alpha 2,3Gal), GlcNAc oligomers and/or bisecting GlcNAc.

Sugar-specific inhibitory effects of wheat germ agglutinin and phytohemagglutinin-E4 on histamine release induced by basic secretagogues from rat peritoneal mast cells and their possible action sites

The histamine release induced by compound 48/80, bradykinin or polyethylenimine with a molecular weight of 600 (PEI6) was inhibited by wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) and phytohemagglutinin E-subunits (PHA-E4), and the inhibition was specifically reversed by N-acetyl glucosamine and N-acetyl galactosamine, respectively. Concanavalin A (Con A) and phytohemagglutinin L-subunits (PHA-L4) did not inhibit the histamine release induced by compound 48/80, bradykinin or PEI6. The histamine release induced by substance P was also inhibited sugar-specifically by WGA and PHA-E4. The binding sites for compound 48/80, bradykinin, PEI6 and substance P, therefore, seemed to especially overlap each other. These binding sites were found to be glycoproteins having affinities to WGA and PHA-E4, but not to Con A and PHA-L4. The binding of WGA and PHA-E4 to the glycoproteins resulted in inhibition of the interaction between the basic secretagogues including bradykinin and substance P and their binding sites on the mast cells. The bindings of five lectins to mast cell glycoproteins were examined by lectin-blotting. Several glycoproteins, which had specific affinities to WGA and PHA-E4, but not to Con A and PHA-L4 were detected. We assumed that the binding sites for basic secretagogues which are coupled with histamine-releasing mechanisms exist among these glycoproteins. A 41-kDa protein (alpha-subunit of pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein) was not detected by WGA, suggesting that the binding sites for the basic secretagogues were not G proteins.