title: Human eosinophils lack human leukocyte elastase.
abstract: Recently, human leukocyte elastase has been detected in human eosinophils. Reinvestigating these findings, 2.5 pg active human leukocyte elastase (E.C. 3.4.21.37) were found per neutrophil isolated from peripheral blood, whereas the elastase activity of eosinophil preparations was linearly correlated with the content of contaminating neutrophils. Also spontaneous or stimulated release of active elastase was absent in eosinophils. By immunohistochemistry no elastase immunoreactivity could be demonstrated in human eosinophils. Therefore, we conclude that human eosinophils do not contain considerable amounts of human leukocyte elastase.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Wiedow
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Muhle
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Streit
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kameyoshi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D056649:Cathepsin G; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000097:blood; D003594:Cytoplasmic Granules / Q000201:enzymology; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000201:enzymology*; D006801:Humans; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000201:enzymology; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000097:blood / Q000172:deficiency*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases
chemical_list: D002403:Cathepsins; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; C534094:CTSG protein, human; D056649:Cathepsin G; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase