Kristen M. Young

PI3K, ERK, p38 MAPK and integrins regulate CCR3-mediated secretion of mouse and human eosinophil-associated RNases

Eosinophils have the capacity to secrete varied cytotoxic proteins. Among the proteins are the eosinophil‐associated RNases (EARs): the human eosinophil‐derived neurotoxin and eosinophilic cationic protein, and their murine ortholog EARs, which have been shown to be involved in host defense, tissue remodeling, and immunity regulation. However, the signal transduction that regulates EARs secretion in response to physiological stimuli, such as chemokines, has been little studied in human and scarcely in mouse eosinophils, the foremost animal model for eosinophil‐associated human diseases.

Rho and Rac, but not ROCK, are required for secretion of human and mouse eosinophil-associated RNases

Eosinophil‐associated RNases (EARs) are stored preformed in eosinophil cytoplasmic secretory granules and have a key role in eosinophil effector functions in host defence and inflammatory disorders. However, the secretion mechanisms of EARs are poorly understood.