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Calreticulin is an interleukin-3-sensitive calcium-binding protein in human basophil leukocytes

J M Lyngholm1, H V Nielsen, M Holm

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark.

Allergy
|February 13, 2001
PubMed

Insights

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) upregulates calreticulin expression in human basophils, a calcium-binding protein. This modulation may explain how IL-3 influences basophil function and reverses steroid inhibition.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Interleukin-3 (IL-3) enhances basophil histamine release and can reverse glucocorticoid inhibition.
  • The precise molecular mechanisms underlying IL-3's effects on basophils, particularly involving calcium signaling, remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify calcium-binding proteins in basophils.
  • To investigate the role of IL-3 in regulating the expression of these proteins.

Main Methods:

  • Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry were used to identify calcium-binding proteins in the KU812 basophil cell line.
  • Proteins from purified human basophils were compared to KU812 proteins.
  • Calreticulin expression levels were quantified under varying conditions of IL-3 and anti-IgE stimulation.

Main Results:

  • Calreticulin was identified as a calcium-binding protein in both KU812 cells and primary human basophils.
  • Recombinant human IL-3 (rhIL-3) stimulation led to a twofold upregulation of calreticulin expression in basophils.
  • This upregulation occurred even at IL-3 concentrations lower than those required for enhanced histamine release.

Conclusions:

  • Interleukin-3 (IL-3) regulates the expression of calreticulin in human basophils.
  • Calreticulin's known role in modulating calcium influx and steroid-induced transcriptional activation suggests it is a key mediator of IL-3's effects on basophils.
Abstract

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