T cells and asthma. II. Regulation of the eosinophilia of asthma by T cell cytokines.
Peripheral blood eosinophilia of both allergic and nonallergic asthmatics was found to correlate with blood T cell activation and lymphokine production. A close correlation was shown between the increase of IL-2 receptor expressing T cells and the number of eosinophils. These in vivo activated T cells spontaneously released factors that prolonged eosinophil survival in vitro. The T cell derived lymphokines IL-5, GM-CSF and IL-3 were demonstrated to be responsible for prolonged eosinophil survival in vitro, and were identified in T cell supernatants and sera from asthmatics. In summary, T cell derived cytokines play an important regulatory function towards eosinophils in asthma.
Walker
C
C
Schweizerisches Institut für Allergie- und Asthmaforschung, Davos, Switzerland.
Virchow
J C
JC
Bruijnzeel
P L
PL
Blaser
K
K
D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000502:physiology*; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000209:etiology*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007377:Interleukin-3 / Q000032:analysis; D015848:Interleukin-5 / Q000032:analysis; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016207:Cytokines; D007377:Interleukin-3; D015848:Interleukin-5; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor