Eosinophils, eosinophil ribonucleases, and their role in host defense against respiratory virus pathogens

Eosinophils remain among the most enigmatic of cells, as our appreciation of their detrimental activities—e.g., asthma and allergic disease—far outweighs our understanding of their beneficial effects. Among the major secretory effector proteins of eosinophils are the ribonucleases eosinophil‐derived...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of leukocyte biology 2001-11, Vol.70 (5), p.691-698
Main Authors: Rosenberg, Helene F., Domachowske, Joseph B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Asthma - etiology
Asthma - immunology
Blood Proteins - physiology
Chemotaxis
Child
Cytoplasmic Granules - enzymology
Disease Susceptibility
Eosinophil Granule Proteins
eosinophil ribonuclease
Eosinophil-Derived Neurotoxin
Eosinophils - enzymology
Eosinophils - physiology
Evolution, Molecular
Humans
Infant
major basic protein
Mice
Murine pneumonia virus - immunology
pneumonia virus of mice
Pneumovirus Infections - immunology
Pneumovirus Infections - virology
Primates
Pulmonary Eosinophilia - immunology
Pulmonary Eosinophilia - virology
Recombinant Proteins - pharmacology
Respiratory syncytial virus
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections - immunology
Respiratory Tract Infections - immunology
Respiratory Tract Infections - virology
Ribonucleases - genetics
Ribonucleases - pharmacology
Ribonucleases - physiology
Rodentia
Species Specificity
Virus Diseases - immunology
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Summary:Eosinophils remain among the most enigmatic of cells, as our appreciation of their detrimental activities—e.g., asthma and allergic disease—far outweighs our understanding of their beneficial effects. Among the major secretory effector proteins of eosinophils are the ribonucleases eosinophil‐derived neurotoxin (EDN) and eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) in primates and their orthologs, the eosinophil‐associated ribonucleases (EARs) in rodents. The rapid diversification observed among these ribonucleases suggested that the ultimate target(s) might be similarly efficient at generating sequence diversity while maintaining an unalterable susceptibility to ribonucleolytic cleavage. This has prompted us to consider a role for these proteins and by extension, for eosinophils, in host defense against single‐stranded RNA virus pathogens. We detail our studies of the antiviral activity of eosinophils and eosinophil ribonucleases against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in vitro and the related, natural rodent pathogen, pneumonia virus of mice (PVM), in vivo, and consider the possibility that antiviral host defense and the dysregulated responses leading to asthma represent opposing sides of an eosinophil‐mediated double‐edged sword.
ISSN:0741-5400
1938-3673
DOI:10.1189/jlb.70.5.691