IGE BINDING PROTEIN IN PATIENTS W/ ALLERGIC DISEASE

该方案的目的是研究IgE结合蛋白，现在被称为Galectin-3，在过敏性炎症中的作用。现有数据表明Galectin-3可能是炎症的放大因子。这种蛋白在各种炎症细胞中表达，我们的假设是，由于各种炎症介质的刺激，患有过敏性疾病的人体内Galectin-3表达上调。该议定书由两个具体目标组成。第一个是关于包括哮喘和特应性皮炎在内的过敏性疾病患者血清中Galectin-3水平的定量，第二个是关于过敏性疾病患者炎性细胞中Galectin-3表达的分析。我们已经完成了第一部分，并发现正常和过敏个体的血清一般不包含显著水平的Galectin-3。这可能是由于分泌的Galectin-3与不同细胞表面的糖偶联物结合。未来的计划是重点研究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.