Non-tumor mast cells cultured in vitro on a honeycomb-like structured film proliferate with multinucleated formation

Mast cells are released from bone marrow into the circulatory system as immature precursors and differentiate upon their arrival at diverse organs and tissues. Because mast cell functions can be altered in these tissues, we propose that mast cells are sensitive to their surrounding microenvironment. To examine the morphological responses of mast cells, we cultured a proliferative mouse non-tumor cell line of mast cells (NCL-2 cells) on a honeycomb-like structured polystyrene film (HCF) representing a microenvironmental scaffold. In this study, the NCL-2 cells cultured on the HCF proliferated without apoptosis. Furthermore, NCL-2 cells cultured on 3- and 5-μm HCFs exhibited multinuclear formation. These observations of different NCL-2 cell morphologies and proliferation rates on HCF scaffolds with different hole sizes suggest that mast cells undertake specific proliferative shapes depending on the surrounding microenviroment. Moreover, HCFs may lead to the regulation of mast cell differentiation. From the Clinical Editor: This team reports on the development of a honeycomb-like structured film to study mast cell differentiation of non-cancerous origin, demonstrating that different microenvironments provided by different honeycomb hole sizes determine the morphology of the differentiated cells.