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Eosinophil Granule Proteins

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Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

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Eosinophils secrete a range of cytotoxic granule cationic proteins that are able to induce tissue damage and organ dysfunction. The most important of them are: major basic protein (MBP), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), eosinophil peroxidase (EPO), and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN). Eosinophil granules contain a crystalloid core composed of MBP and a matrix composed of ECP, EDN, and EPO. MBP, EPO, and ECP are toxic to a variety of tissues, including heart, brain, and bronchial epithelium. ECP and EDN are ribonucleases and have antiviral activity. ECP has been reported to causes pores in membranes of target cells, facilitating the entry of other cytotoxic molecules (Rothenberg and Hogan 2006). Eosinophil granule proteins can also be found in association with extracellular DNA traps in infectious, allergic, and autoimmune diseases (Yousefi et al. 2008).

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References

  • Rothenberg ME, Hogan SP. The eosinophil. Annu Rev Immunol. 2006;24:147–74.

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  • Yousefi S, Gold JA, Andina N, Lee JJ, Kelly AM, Kozlowski E, Schmid I, Straumann A, Reichenbach J, Gleich GJ, Simon HU. Catapult-like release of mitochondrial DNA by eosinophils contributes to antibacterial defense. Nat Med. 2008;14:949–53.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Pharmacology, University of Bern, Friedbühlstrasse 49, Bern, CH-3010, Switzerland

    Shida Yousefi & Hans-Uwe Simon

Authors
  1. Shida Yousefi
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  2. Hans-Uwe Simon
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Correspondence to Shida Yousefi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Dennis K. Ledford

  4. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Richard F. Lockey

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Yousefi, S., Simon, HU. (2014). Eosinophil Granule Proteins. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_87

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_87

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9193-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9194-1

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