Influence of Calcium Ions and Metabolic Energy (ATP) on Histamine Release

Abstract

Rat mast cells can be stimulated by a number of different agents to secrete histamine (Paton 1956). Some of these, including antigen, the polymer amine compound 48/80, ATP, and the ionophore A23187, act selectively on the cells in the sense that stimulation is coupled to secretion through the influence of certain coupling factors. These factors are, in agreement with so many other secretory systems, calcium and endogenous ATP (Fig. 1). Both factors are equally important for secretion to occur. Omit calcium (Krüger et al. 1974, Krüger & Bloom 1974, Cochrane & Douglas 1974) or inhibit ATP production (Yamasaki et al. 1970) in the cells, and none of the typical morphological changes occur upon stimulation, and consequently no histamine is released. On the other hand, decylamine, the ionophore X537A, and chlorpromazine stimulate histamine secretion completely independent of calcium or metabolic energy (Högberg & Uvnäs 1960, Frisk-Holmberg 1971, Foreman et al. 1973). The molecular nature of the coupling reactions which depend on calcium and ATP is far from solved. From a theoretical point of view it should be considered if calcium and ATP might act directly on the perigranular membrane.