Chapter 3 Biology of the Eosinophil

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Abstract

In this review, we aim to put in perspective the biology of a multifunctional leukocyte, the eosinophil, by placing it in the context of innate and adaptive immune responses. Eosinophils have a unique contribution in initiating inflammatory and adaptive responses, due to their bidirectional interactions with dendritic cells and T cells, as well as their large panel of secreted cytokines and soluble mediators. The mechanisms and consequences of eosinophil responses in experimental inflammatory models and human diseases are discussed.

Section snippets

Eosinophil Differentiation

Eosinophils are produced in the bone marrow from multipotent hematopoietic stem cells. Hematopoietic differentiation involves the commitment of multipotent progenitors to a given lineage, followed by the maturation of the committed cells. From these stem cells, the myeloid lineage allows the development of the myeloblast with shared properties of basophils and eosinophils, and then into a separate eosinophil lineage (Boyce et al., 1995). Each of the steps that ultimately lead to mature

A Role for Eosinophils at Baseline

Some organs are rich in eosinophils, such as the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, spleen, lymph nodes, thymus, mammary glands, and uterus. Their presence in normal conditions suggests a role for eosinophils in some homeostatic processes.

Antigen Presentation/T Cell Proliferation

Early studies on the role of eosinophils in antigen presentation and T cell activation have raised controversy. Eosinophils can effectively present soluble antigens to CD4+ T cells, promoting T cell proliferation and polarization (Sanderson, 1992, van Rijt et al., 2003). But the ability of eosinophils to present antigen seems closely linked to the extraction methods. The use, in the lysis buffer, of amonium chloride, an inhibitor of lysosome acidification (needed for antigen presentation),

Eosinophil Trafficking

The trafficking of eosinophils involves three interacting components: (1) cytokines that upregulate chemokines, (2) chemokines that activate eosinophils, and (3) adhesion molecules and other molecules (Fig. 3.2).

Role of Eosinophils in Disease

Eosinophils are multifunctional leukocytes implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous inflammatory processes (Fig. 3.3).

Therapeutics Available

Several therapeutics help in the control of systemic and tissue eosinophilia (Rothenberg and Hogan, 2005).

  • (1)

    Glucocorticoids are the most common agents for reducing eosinophilia (Rothenberg, 1998). They seems to act on the transcription of a number of genes for inflammatory mediators including the genes for IL‐3, IL‐4, IL‐5, GM‐CSF, and various chemokines including the eotaxins. Glucocorticoids have also been shown to destabilize the mRNA of eosinophil active cytokines; thus, reducing the

Acknowledgments

The Authors wish to thank the whole eosinophil field that built the concepts presented. Andrea Lippelman, Katherine Henderson, and LaWanda Bryant for administrative assistance.

This work was supported by in part by the Thrasher Research Fund NR‐0014 (C.B.), the PHS Grant P30 DK0789392 (C.B.), the NIH AI079874‐01 (C.B.) AI070235, AI45898, and DK076893 (M.E.R.), the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (M.E.R.), Campaign Urging Research for Eosinophil Disorders (CURED), the Buckeye Foundation

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