Imaging asynchronous changes in intracellular Ca2+ in individual stimulated tumor mast cells.

Changes in the level of intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) are associated with the secretion of mediators of immediate hypersensitivity by rat basophilic leukemia (RBL) cells, a mast cell line. Digital fluorescence ratio imaging of fura-2 was used to measure [Ca2+]i in individual RBL cells. Changes in [Ca2+]i that occurred in response to crosslinking of IgE receptors on the cell surface or to application of the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin were studied. Stimulation of RBL cells with antigen resulted in rapid increases in [Ca2+]i following lag times that varied widely from cell to cell. Simple averaging of the Ca2+ responses of many cells yielded a gradual response profile that closely resembled that of suspensions of cells measured in the fluorometer. The results show that single cells can respond much more rapidly to antigen than has previously been suggested by studies on populations of cells. The lag time between addition of antigen and initiation of the increase in [Ca2+]i varied considerably between cells in the same field of view. Both the rise time and the variability and average duration of the lag time increased with decreasing antigen concentration.