IGE BINDING PROTEIN IN PATIENTS W/ ALLERGIC DISEASE

本方案的目的是研究IgE结合蛋白（现在称为半乳糖凝集素-3）在过敏性炎症中的作用。 现有的数据表明，半乳糖凝集素-3可能是炎症的放大器。 这种蛋白质在各种炎性细胞中表达，我们的假设是半乳糖凝集素-3在过敏性疾病个体中由于各种炎性介质的刺激而上调。 该协议包括两个具体目标。 第一个涉及过敏性疾病，包括哮喘和特应性皮炎患者血清中半乳糖凝集素-3水平的定量，第二个涉及过敏性疾病患者炎性细胞中半乳糖凝集素-3表达的分析。我们已经完成了第一部分，发现正常和过敏个体的血清一般不含显著水平的半乳糖凝集素-3。 这可能是由于分泌的半乳糖凝集素-3与各种细胞表面上的糖缀合物结合。 未来的计划是集中研究galectin-3在炎症细胞中的表达。

The purpose of this protocol is to study the role of IgE-binding protein, now known as galectin-3, in allergic inflammation. Existing data suggest that galectin-3 may be an amplifier of imflammation. This protein is expressed in various inflammatory cells and our hypothesis is that galectin-3 is upregulated in individuals with allergic diseases as a result of stimulation by various imflammatory mediators. The protocol cosists of two specific aims. The first deals with the quantitation of the level of galectin-3 in sera of patients with allergic diseases, including asthma and atopic dermatitis, and the second concerns the analysis of the expression of galectin-3 in inflammatory cells from patients with allergic diseases. We have already accomplished the first part and found that sera from normal and allergic individuals in general do not contain significant levels of galectin-3. This is probably explainable by the binding of secreted galectin-3 to glycoconjugates on the surfaces of various cells. The future plan is to focus on the study of expression of galectin-3 in inflammatory cells.