Induction of histidine decarboxylase in mouse tissues by mitogens in vivo.

Various types of mitogenic substances, such as a Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), concanavalin A (Con A), pokeweed mitogen, polyI:polyC (a synthetic double-stranded RNA) and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (a component of croton oil), induced histidine decarboxylase (HDC) in the liver, spleen and lung of mice at 4.5 hr after injection. Other inflammatory agents without mitogenic activity, such as zymosan, carrageenan, glycogen, D-galactosamine and N-acetyl-muramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine, did not induce the enzyme. Both LPS (a B-cell mitogen) and Con A (a T-cell mitogen) induced HDC also in nude mice that lack T-cells, indicating that T-cells are not required for HDC induction by mitogens. C3H/HeJ mice, which are LPS-low responder mice in various immunological tests, were quite a bit less responsive to LPS also in the HDC induction. These results show that mitogens with different properties can induce HDC as a common characteristic. On the basis of these results, the possible participation of macrophages in the process of HDC induction by mitogens was discussed.