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Eosinophils: Biological Properties and Role in Health and Disease
Author(s) -
HOGAN SIMON P.,
ROSENBERG HELENE F.,
MOQBEL REDWAN,
PHIPPS SIMON,
FOSTER PAUL S.,
LACY PAIGE,
KAY A. BARRY,
ROTHENBERG MARC E.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2222.2008.02958.x
Subject(s) - eosinophil , immunology , degranulation , biology , acquired immune system , immunity , asthma , allergic inflammation , innate immune system , disease , allergy , eosinophil granule proteins , eosinophilic gastroenteritis , major basic protein , inflammation , microbiology and biotechnology , immune system , eosinophilia , medicine , receptor , genetics , pathology
SUMMARY Eosinophils are pleiotropic multifunctional leukocytes involved in initiation and propagation of diverse inflammatory responses, as well as modulators of innate and adaptive immunity. In this review, the biology of eosinophils is summarized, focusing on transcriptional regulation of eosinophil differentiation, characterization of the growing properties of eosinophil granule proteins, surface proteins and pleiotropic mediators, and molecular mechanisms of eosinophil degranulation. New views on the role of eosinophils in homeostatic function are examined, including developmental biology and innate and adaptive immunity (as well as their interaction with mast cells and T cells) and their proposed role in disease processes including infections, asthma, and gastrointestinal disorders. Finally, strategies for targeted therapeutic intervention in eosinophil‐mediated mucosal diseases are conceptualized.