Characterization of mastoparan-induced histamine release from RBL-2H3 cells

Kouichi Mizuno, Norimichi Nakahata and Yasushi Ohizumi. Characterization of mastoparan-induced histamine release from RBL-2H3 cells. Toxicon 36, 447-456, 1998.-Mastoparan (5-30 mu M), a tetradecapeptide isolated from wasp venom, caused histamine release from RBL-2H3 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Mastoptaran-induced histamine release remained after removing the extracellular Ca2+ whereas the antigen-induced one disappeared. Pertussis toxin did not inhibit mastoparan-induced histamine release from the cells, and mastoparan did not stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis. In agreement with the results, RBL-2H3 cells had a small amount of ADP-ribosylation substrates for pertussis toxin. Neomycin (1-5 mM) suppressed mastoparan-induced histamine release and phospholipase D activation. However, butanol slightly inhibited mastoparan-induced histamine mine release. Moreover, 2,3-diphosphoglycerate inhibited mastoparan-induced phospholipase D activation, but not it's histamine release. On the other hand, mastoparan caused the leakage of lactate dehydrogenase from the cells in a similar concentration range to the histamine release. This leakage was also suppressed by neomycin. These results suggest that mastoparan enhances the membrane permeability, resulting in histamine release in a pertussis toxin-insensitive manner, and that mastoparan-induced phospholipase D activation may not relate to histamine release. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. all rights reserved.