Roles of interleukin-5 receptors on eosinophilic differentiation

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Chronic allergic inflammation including bronchial asthma and atopic dermatitis is difficult to treat and the number of patients suffering from such diseases is increasing, probably reflecting environmental changes to life style. Eosinophils are one of the cells that play a critical role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. In bronchial asthma, eosinophils increase in number in bone marrow and peripheral blood, and accumulate at inflammatory sites in response to various kinds of cytokines and chemical mediators. Studies have demonstrated the mechanism by which eosinophils prolong their survival, infiltrate inflammatory sites and release granule proteins. However, the mechanism behind the differentiation of stem cells such as CD34^+ cells into mature eosinophils has not been clarified. Clarification of this mechanism is important if one is to understand the generation and maturation of white blood cells, especially myeloid lineages, and may contribute to the development of novel medications for allergic inflammation. Inhibition of the differentiation toward the eosinophil lineage might be useful for the control of allergic inflammation as a preventive measure. In this study, two novel receptors for IL-5R are identified, and named as variant 7 and variant 8.