Relation of mastocytoma to mast cell leukemia, and of heparin, histamine and serotonin to mast cells.

LTHOUGH mtich information about mast cells has become available in recent years ( reviews by Padawer,’ Uvn#{228}s,2Riley1 ) , little is known about the function of these cells. The relation of tissue mast cells to blood basophil leukocytes has been debated since their discovery. Because of their similar staining properties, Ehrlich4 regarded the latter as blood mast cells. The availability of a readily transplantable, well differentiated, slow-growing mast cell tumor containing large quantities of heparin, histamine and serotonin5 has made possible studies of the biosynthesis, storage and liberation of these pharmacologically active stibstances and of the growth of mast cells both in vivo and in vitro. This paper describes some characteristics of the tumor, some properties of mast cells grown in tisstie culture and the experimental production of mast cell leukemia in mice by the introduction of isolated tumor mast cells into the circulation. A preliminary report of these experiments has already been given.6