Human Mast Cells Express the Hyaluronic-Acid-Binding Isoform of CD44 and Adhere to Hyaluronic Acid

CD44 is expressed in various isoforms on multiple cell lineages including those of hematopoietic origin and is believed in part to mediate cell adhesion to hyaluronic acid. Elevated levels of soluble CD44 (sCD44) have been identified in the serum of some patients with specific neoplasms. We thus sought to determine whether human mast cells express functional CD44 and whether sCD44 might be associated with systemic mast cell disease. Using a standard assay, CD34+-derived cultured human mast cells were first demonstrated to adhere to hyaluronic-acid-coated surfaces. Human mast cells were then found by flow cytometry to express CD44S, but not the v5, v6, v7, and v8 isoforms, and to shed CD44S following activation induced by PMA or aggregation of FcεRI. However, CD44S was not found to be consistently elevated in serum obtained from patients with mastocytosis or individuals experiencing anaphylaxis. Thus, human cultured mast cells express and shed CD44S, which appears to mediate the attachment of these cells to hyaluronic acid.