CD45-deficient RBL-2H3 cells. Cellular response to Fc epsilon R- and ionophore-induced stimulation

The CD45 protein is a transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase that is required for normal T and B cell receptor-mediated signaling. In order to study the function of this phosphatase in mast cells, we have isolated a CD45-deficient variant from the rat basophilic leukemia cell line (RBL-2H3), a tumor analog of mucosal mast cells. The secretory response as well as the inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (InsP3) formation to Fc epsilon RI and ionophore stimuli were similar in the RBL-2H3 cell line and its derived CD45-deficient subpopulation. However, pretreatment with the phorbol ester TPA, which directly activates protein kinase C (PKC), caused a marked increase in mediator release and InsP3 production in the CD45-deficient variant compared to the parental RBL-2H3 cells. These findings suggest that CD45 might directly or indirectly modify the activity of PKC or the InsP3-dephosphorylating phosphatase.