[Histonet] mast cell in guinea pig

[John Kiernan]

John Kiernan wrote:
> 
> Probably you didn't see any mast cells in the
> sections of guinea-pig tissues because there
> were none to be seen.
> 
> Mouse and rat mast cells are unusual in that their
> granules are preserved and rendered insoluble by
> aqueous fixatives such as buffered formaldehyde.
> In most other species aqueous fixatives dissolve
> out the mast cell granules. Alcoholic fixatives (eg
> Carnoy, or the "alcoholic Bouin" fluids: Dubosq, Gendre
> etc) will preserve and insolubilize mast cell granules
> of any species.
> 
> For more on this, see "The Mast Cells" by Hans Selye
> (1965) Chapter 3. Also the "Notes & Queries section in
> the current issue of Biotechnic & Histochemistry (Vol 80
> No 1, p.43-45). The latter is available at the publisher's
> web site:
> http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/app/home/journal.asp?wasp=5a0cd1389c124b68b94584a9e888d3f3&referrer=parent&backto=searchpublicationsresults,1,1;homemain,1,1;
> 
> The metachromasia is due to heparin, the major
> macromolecular anion of the granules. The staining
> properties of heparin are similar to those of
> cartilage matrix. Both materials carry a lot
> of sulphate-ester groups. Unfortunately heparin
> (except that of rats and mice) is water-soluble.
> I do not know if any tryptase or chymase immunoreactivity
> remains in mast cells whose granules have been
> extracted by an aqueous fixative.
> --
> -------------------------------
> John A. Kiernan
> Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
> The University of Western Ontario
> London,   Canada   N6A 5C1
>    kiernan[AT]uwo.ca
>    http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/
>    http://instruct.uwo.ca/anatomy/530/index.htm
> _______________________________
> Elizabeth Chlipala wrote:
> >
> > Hello All
> >
> > I'm looking for a stain that will identify mast cells in guinea pigs.  I
> > have run both giemsa (modified dif quick) and 0.4% Toluidine Blue.  I
> > normally get very good staining of mast cells with the toluidine blue.
> > I normally run this stain on mouse and rat tissue.  This is the first
> > time I have tried this stain in guinea pigs.  Upon review of the slides
> > I could not located one mast cell in 11 lung sections.  I know they have
> > to be there.  Does the metachromatic nature of the t. blue stain have to
> > do with the amount of histamine present in the cells?  I have read in
> > the literature that guinea pigs and humans have less histamine present
> > in their mast cells than rats, hamsters and mice.  Is anyone aware of a
> > modification that will stain mast cells in guinea pig?  Any help would
> > be appreciated.  I would prefer to stick with a histochemical method.
> > I'm aware of Immunohistochemical staining for mast cell tryptase, but in
> > researching this I could not find any references for guinea pig tissue.
> >
> > Thanks in advance.
> >
> > Liz
> >
> > Elizabeth A. Chlipala, BS, HTL(ASCP)QIHC
> > Manager
> > Premier Laboratory, LLC
> > P.O. Box 18592
> > Boulder, Colorado 80308
> > Office: (303) 735-5001
> > Fax: (303) 735-3540
> > liz <@t> premierlab.com
> > www.premierlab.com
> >
> > Ship to Address:
> > Premier Laboratory
> > University of Colorado
> > MCDB, Room A3B40
> > Boulder, Colorado 80309
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Histonet mailing list
> > Histonet <@t> lists.utsouthwestern.edu
> > http://lists.utsouthwestern.edu/mailman/listinfo/histonet

-- 
-------------------------------
John A. Kiernan
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology
The University of Western Ontario
London,   Canada   N6A 5C1
   kiernan[AT]uwo.ca
   http://publish.uwo.ca/~jkiernan/
   http://instruct.uwo.ca/anatomy/530/index.htm
_______________________________