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Review
. 2010 Mar-Apr;88(3):250-6.
doi: 10.1038/icb.2009.115. Epub 2010 Jan 12.

Eosinophils and Th2 immunity: contemporary insights

Lisa A Spencer  1 , Peter F Weller
Affiliations
Review

Eosinophils and Th2 immunity: contemporary insights

Lisa A Spencer et al. Immunol Cell Biol. 2010 Mar-Apr.

Abstract

Eosinophils, innate immune leukocytes elicited by Th2 cells, have long been associated with the effector arm of Th2 immune responses. However, accumulating data over the past decade reveal a much more dynamic picture of Th2 immunity, where eosinophils are present very early in response to Th2-inducing agents and function in the initiation of Th2 immunity. Here we discuss recent data showing immune functions of eosinophils distinct from their previously appreciated tissue- and helminth-destructive capacities, providing strong evidence for a new paradigm of Th2 immunity defined by a dynamic interplay between eosinophils and T cells.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Eosinophils and Th2 immunity. (a) Eosinophils are one of the first cell types elicited to tissue sites of localized helminths or allergic inflammation, and secrete Th2-inducing cytokines (that is, interleukin (IL)-4) and alarmins (that is, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin, EDN), which exerts it effect on resident dendritic cells (DCs), enhancing DC activation and promoting a Th2-inducing phenotype. (b) Eosinophils traffic from tissue sites to draining lymph nodes, where they localize to T-cell zones. Within lymph nodes eosinophil-derived cytokines promote DC initiation of Th2 polarization, and eosinophils function as antigen-presenting cells to directly instruct Th2 polarization of naive, antigen-specific T cells. (c) Eosinophils within the tissues participate in the effector phases of Th2 immunity by secreting factors that inhibit Th1 lymphocytes (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, IDO) and enhance activities of Th2 memory cells (IL-25). Eosinophils also secrete Th2 chemoattractants required for efficient recruitment of Th2 effector cells into tissue sites. BV, blood vessel.
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