Mast cell histamine and cytokine assays

Mast cells are crucial to the development of chronic allergic inflammation and are likely to play a critical role in host defense. In this chapter methodology for histamine and cytokine assays is provided. Crosslinkage of IgE receptor I (Fc epsilonRI) on cord blood-derived mast cells by myeloma IgE and anti-human IgE is used to induce histamine release. Histamine levels were measured in the culture supernatants using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A human mast cell line (HMC-1), derived from a patient with mast cell leukemia, was activated with interleukin (IL)-1beta to study cytokine production and gene expression. Cytokine gene expression was evaluated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and cytokine production was assayed in culture supernatants using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit.