title: Dual signaling and effector pathways mediate human eosinophil activation by platelet-activating factor.
abstract: Platelet-activating factor (PAF) induces various cellular functions in eosinophils including chemotaxis, adhesion, superoxide anion (O2-) production, and degranulation. While PAF shares many biological effects with other chemotactic factors such as N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine, complement fragments, and lipid mediators, PAF is unique in that its action is relatively resistant to pertussis toxin (PTX), and in activating eosinophils more strongly than neutrophils. In this review we consider how PAF might activate human eosinophils in preference to neutrophils, and discuss possible mechanisms of PAF-induced activation of human eosinophils via two distinct signaling and effector pathways. Recently we analyzed O2- production by eosinophils using a sensitive, real-time chemiluminescence method. Our results showed that in human eosinophils PAF activates two distinct signaling and effector pathways coupled to the PAF receptor: one linked to PTX-sensitive G protein(s) and another to PTX-resistant G protein(s), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, and cellular adhesion. This activation of two different G proteins by the eosinophil PAF receptor may explain the strong and diverse biological responses of human eosinophils to PAF.
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy, Gunma Children's Medical Center, Hokkitsu, Gunma, Japan. mkato@gcmc.pref.gunma.jp
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Hirohito
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kita
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tachibana
authors.forename: Yasuhide
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kimura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018448:Models, Immunological; D018375:Neutrophil Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D010972:Platelet Activating Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D010972:Platelet Activating Factor; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins