Page 965 - Veterinary Immunology, 10th Edition

VetBooks.ir

FIG. 29.6 A section of canine skin stained to show mast cells. The
mast cells stain intensely because of the heparin in their
cytoplasmic granules.

FIG. 29.7 The structural features of a connective tissue mast cell.
The term metachromatic simply means that the granules stain
intensely.

Life History

There are two distinct mast cell populations in rodents. One occurs

in the mucosa, the other is found in connective tissues (Table 29.1).
Mucosal mast cells arise from bone marrow–derived stem cells and
are found between the epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa and

965