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Mast cells play a central role in IgE-dependent allergic responses. Although they have been reported to express only low-affinity IgG receptors and no high-affinity receptors (FcgammaRI), our recent study showed that canine mastocytoma CM-MC cells are activated by monomeric canine IgG, suggesting the presence of FcgammaRI on CM-MC cells. In the present study, we measured the affinity of canine IgG with CM-MC cells, determined the presence of the FcgammaRI protein and mRNA, and identified the cDNA sequence of it. The results showed that (7.5+/-3.1)x10(4) receptor molecules are expressed on a CM-MC cell with a Ka of (9.1+/-1.6)x10(7)M(-1) for binding to monomeric canine IgG. Canine IgG-conjugated beads precipitated an approximately 72-kDa surface protein, whose size is consistent with that of the FcgammaRI alpha subunit of humans and mouse. The expression of FcgammaRI mRNA was detected by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and the cDNA encoding the FcgammaRI alpha subunit was found to be 84% and 78% similar to that of humans and the mouse, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequence was 72% and 63% identical, respectively. Canine mastocytoma CM-MC cells are therefore very useful for studying FcgammaRI-mediated signal transduction in mast cells.

Regulatory T cells can be obtained from primary mixed lymphocyte cultures of CBA spleen cells responding to BALB/c stimulators. At day 3 of culture, T cells are generated which can either help or suppress the generation of cytotoxic T cells in a second primary MLC culture. The regulatory activity observed depends on the conditions employed in the assay system allowing independent assay of different functional cell types which coexist in the cultures. Both the helper activity and the suppressor activity are mediated by differentiated antigen-specific T cells whose function is radioresistant. The Ly phenotype of these regulatory cells was tested. At day 3 of the first-step culture, the phenotype of the helper cells is Ly 1.1+ Ly 2.1-, whereas the inhibitory cells are Ly 1.1 Ly 2.1+. At day 5 of M LC culture, suppressor activity and helper activity are also observed. However, at this point, a suppressor cell which is Ly 1.1-Ly 2.1+ represents the major inhibitory activity. It is not clear whether this change in suppressor cell phenotype as a function of time in culture represents one differentiation pathway or cells derived from two different precursor cells. The Ly phenotype of helper or cytotoxic T cells did not change as a function of time in culture. In day 5 first-step cells, the cytotoxic cells were typed as Ly 1.1+ 2.1+, whereas the inhibitory cells present in aliquots of the same treated cell population expressed the Ly 1.1- Ly 2.1 phenotype. Taken together, these observations show that the antigen-specific suppressor cells and helper cells which regulate the generation of cytotoxicity, and the cytotoxic cells themselves represent physically distinct subclasses of T cells.