Morphological study of rat mast cells stimulated with compound 48/80 at different temperatures

Changes of mast cells stimulated with compound 48/80 were morphologically investigated at different temperatures. Peritoneal mast cells of male rats were stimulated in vitro at 4 or 17° C. At 17° C, mast cells stimulated for 10 s gave decreased fluorescent reactions for phalloidin. At 30 s stimulation, they showed typical exocytosis initiated by fusions of peripherally located secretory granules to the plasma membrane. In contrast, mast cells stimulated at 4° C exhibited neither decrease of phalloidin reactions nor typical excytosis even after 30 s. It was inferred that the fusions were mediated by cytoplasmic elements, probably the actin filaments previously suggested to prevent release of secretory granules. Furthermore, the space between the perigranular membrane and granular contents was enlarged in some mast cells stimulated at 4° C. The morphological changes suggested that equivocal events occurred also in the cytoplasm of these cells. The mast cells showed no typical exocytosis at 4° C.