Two different types of cells in the peritoneal cavity of mice produce mast cell colonies in methylcellulose. “Large” mast cell colonies are produced by bone marrow-derived precursors resembling lymphoid cells by light microscopy (L-CFU-Mast), whereas “medium” and “small” mast cell colonies are produced by morphologically identifiable mast cells (M-CFU- Mast and S-CFU-Mast, respectively). In the present study we eradicated peritoneal mast cells by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of distilled water. The regeneration process was investigated to clarify the relationship between L-CFU-Mast, M-CFU-Mast, and S-CFU-Mast. After injection of distilled water, M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast disappeared, but L-CFU-Mast increased, and then M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast appeared, suggesting the presence of a hierarchic relationship. When purified peritoneal mast cells were injected two days after the water injection, the L-CFU-Mast did not increase. In the peritoneal cavity of WBB6F1-+/+ mice that had been lethally irradiated and rescued by bone marrow cells of C57BL/6-bgJ/bgJ (beige, Chediak-Higashi syndrome) mice, L-CFU-Mast were of bgJ/bgJ type, but M-CFU-Mast and S-CFU-Mast were of +/+ type. The injection of distilled water to the radiation chimeras resulted in the development of bgJ/bgJ-type M-CFU-Mast and then S-CFU-Mast. The presence of mast cells appeared to suppress the recruitment of L-CFU- Mast from the bloodstream and to inhibit the differentiation of L-CFU- Mast to M-CFU-Mast.

Mouse peritoneal mast cells (PMC) express a connective tissue-type mast cell (CTMC) phenotype, including reactivity with the heparin-binding fluorescent dye berberine sulfate and incorporation of [35S] sulfate predominantly into heparin proteoglycans. When PMC purified to greater than 99% purity were cultured in methylcellulose with IL-3 and IL-4, approximately 25% of the PMC formed colonies, all of which contained both berberine sulfate-positive and berberine sulfate-negative mast cells. When these mast cells were transferred to suspension culture, they generated populations that were 100% berberine sulfate-negative, a characteristic similar to that of mucosal mast cells (MMC), and that synthesized predominantly chondroitin sulfate [35S] proteoglycans. When “MMC-like” cultured mast cells derived from WBB6F1-+/+ PMC were injected into the peritoneal cavities of mast cell-deficient WBB6F1- W/Wv mice, the adoptively transferred mast cell population became 100% berberine sulfate-positive. In methylcellulose culture, these “second generation PMC” formed clonal colonies containing both berberine sulfate-positive and berberine sulfate-negative cells, but exhibited significantly less proliferative ability than did normal +/+ PMC. Thus, clonal mast cell populations initially derived from single PMC exhibited multiple and bidirectional alterations between CTMC-like and MMC-like phenotypes. However, this process was associated with a progressive diminution of the mast cells' proliferative ability.

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A case is described of a patient who developed a transient verbal hallucination, lateralized to the right ear, and fluent aphasia after a hemorrhagic infarction in the left superior temporal gyrus. On the basis of this patient and the cases in the literature showing unilateral complex auditory hallucinations, the clinical significance of the lateralization phenomenon of complex auditory hallucinations was investigated. As a result, the lateralization phenomenon of complex auditory hallucinations could be considered a significant clinical sign indicating the existence of a lesion in the superior temporal gyrus opposite the hallucination side.