Dataset Information

Analysing the eosinophil cationic protein--a clue to the function of the eosinophil granulocyte.

ABSTRACT: Eosinophil granulocytes reside in respiratory mucosa including lungs, in the gastro-intestinal tract, and in lymphocyte associated organs, the thymus, lymph nodes and the spleen. In parasitic infections, atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma, the numbers of the circulating eosinophils are frequently elevated. In conditions such as Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES) circulating eosinophil levels are even further raised. Although, eosinophils were identified more than hundred years ago, their roles in homeostasis and in disease still remain unclear. The most prominent feature of the eosinophils are their large secondary granules, each containing four basic proteins, the best known being the eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). This protein has been developed as a marker for eosinophilic disease and quantified in biological fluids including serum, bronchoalveolar lavage and nasal secretions. Elevated ECP levels are found in T helper lymphocyte type 2 (atopic) diseases such as allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis but also occasionally in other diseases such as bacterial sinusitis. ECP is a ribonuclease which has been attributed with cytotoxic, neurotoxic, fibrosis promoting and immune-regulatory functions. ECP regulates mucosal and immune cells and may directly act against helminth, bacterial and viral infections. The levels of ECP measured in disease in combination with the catalogue of known functions of the protein and its polymorphisms presented here will build a foundation for further speculations of the role of ECP, and ultimately the role of the eosinophil.

SUBMITTER: Bystrom J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3030543 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Analysing the eosinophil cationic protein--a clue to the function of the eosinophil granulocyte.

Bystrom Jonas J Amin Kawa K Bishop-Bailey David D

Respiratory research 20110114

Eosinophil granulocytes reside in respiratory mucosa including lungs, in the gastro-intestinal tract, and in lymphocyte associated organs, the thymus, lymph nodes and the spleen. In parasitic infections, atopic diseases such as atopic dermatitis and asthma, the numbers of the circulating eosinophils are frequently elevated. In conditions such as Hypereosinophilic Syndrome (HES) circulating eosinophil levels are even further raised. Although, eosinophils were identified more than hundred years ag ...[more]

PMID: 21235798

Similar Datasets

Project description:Background Eosinophil cationic protein is a clinical asthma biomarker that would be released into blood, especially gathered in bronchia. The signal peptide of eosinophil cationic protein (ECPsp) plays an important role in translocating ECP to the extracellular space. We previously reported that ECPsp inhibits microbial growth and regulates the expression of mammalian genes encoding tumor growth factor-a (TGF-a) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Results In the present study, we first generated a DNA microarray dataset, which showed that ECPsp upregulated proinflammatory molecules, including chemokines, interferon-induced molecules, and Toll-like receptors. The levels of mRNAs encoding CCL5, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL16, STAT1, and STAT2 were increased in the presence of ECPsp by 2.07-, 4.21-, 7.52-, 2.6-, 3.58-, and 1.67-fold, respectively. We then generated a functional linkage network by integrating the microarray dataset with the pathway database of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. This revealed that STAT1[/2], an important transcriptional factor that regulates cytokine expression and release, served as a hub to connect the pathways of cytokine stimulation (TGF-a and EGFR pathways) and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, integrating TGF-a and EGFR with the functional linkage network indicated that STAT1 served as a hub that connects two functional clusters, including (1) cell proliferation and survival, and (2) inflammation. Finally, we found that conditioned medium in which cells that express ECPsp had been cultured could chemoattract macrophages. Therefore, we hypothesize that ECPsp may regulate the migration of macrophages in vivo. Conclusion The increased expression and release of various cytokines triggered by ECPsp may attract macrophages to bronchia to purge damaged cells. Our approach, involving experimental and computational systems biology, predicts pathways and potential biological functions for further characterization of this novel function of ECPsp under inflammatory conditions.

Dataset Information

Analysing the eosinophil cationic protein--a clue to the function of the eosinophil granulocyte.

Publications

Analysing the eosinophil cationic protein--a clue to the function of the eosinophil granulocyte.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets