Ultrastructural localization of histamine in human basophils and mast cells; changes associated with anaphylactic degranulation and recovery demonstrated with a diamine oxidase-gold probe.

Abstract

Subcellular sites of histamine in purified human lung mast cells and human peripheral blood basophils were determined using a newly developed enzyme-gold affinity method for ultrastructural analysis. The evolving morphologies of regulated secretion and recovery from regulated secretion in each cell showed that granule stores of histamine were released at early times after stimulation and re-accumulated at later times post-stimulus. Renewal of histamine granule stores occurred by multiple mechanisms including synthesis and conservation of granule materials and membranes.