[Role of adhesion molecules expression on eosinophils in bronchial asthma]

Several characteristics of human eosinophil heterogeneity, as well as the existence of eosinophil subpopulations, "normodense" and "hypodense", have been reported in diseases associated with hypereosinophilia. Hypodense eosinophils can be distinguished by the increased expression of various membrane receptors including IL-5 receptor (J Exp Med 172: 1347) and various protein expression (J Immunol 142: 4416). On the other hand, recently, adhesion molecules are considered to play an important role in inflammatory processes in allergic and immune reactions such as bronchial asthma. Thus, in thin study, we examined the characteristics of expression of adhesion molecules on human eosinophils obtained from patients with hypereosinophila (hypodense eosinophils). As a result, high intensity expression of adhesion molecules (CR3, LFA-1 alpha, LFA-beta) on eosinophils were observed. Furthermore, ICAM-1, which is the ligand for LFA-1 molecules, was also expressed on eosinophils with hypereosinophilia. To extend our understanding of high intensity expression of adhesion molecules (CR3, LFA-1 alpha, LFA-1 beta, ICAM-1) on hypodense eosinophils, we examined whether chemotactic agents or eosinophilopoietic growth lymphokines (IL-3, GM-CSF, IL-5) are involved in adhesion molecule expression using an eosinophilic cell line, EoL-3. The expression of adhesion molecules on eosinophils was induced by some chemotactic agents and eosinophilopoietic growth lymphokines. Taken together, we conclude that eosinophilopoietic lymphokines as well as chemotactic agents may be involved in the high intensity expression of adhesion molecules on hypodense eosinophils.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)