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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Apr 28.
Published in final edited form as: Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2014 Jul 8;10(8):474–483. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2014.98

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Characteristics of eosinophils. Eosinophils are multifunctional, bi-lobed granulocytes that contain granular proteins including MBP, ECP, EPO and EDN. Eosinophils can degranulate by exocytosis or by piecemeal degranulation whereby individual granule contents are differentially secreted by activated eosinophils without disruption of the cell membrane. Sombrero vesicles are morphologically distinct vesicles that carry granules to the plasma membrane. Lipid bodies are structurally distinct sites within eosinophils that are responsible for synthesis of paracrine eicosanoid mediators of inflammation. Functions of eosinophils include the production of numerous chemokines, cytokines, and growth factors that mediate allergic inflammation, thrombosis, and fibrosis. A nonexhaustive list of these products are shown in boxes. Abbreviations: 15-HETE, 15-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid; APRIL, a proliferation-inducing ligand; CCL, CC-chemokine ligand; CCR, CC-chemokine receptor; CXCL, CXC-chemokine ligand; CXCR, CXC-chemokine receptor; ECP, eosinophil cationic protein; EDN, eosinophil-derived neurotoxin; EPO, eosinophil peroxidase; GM-CSF, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; GRO-α, growth regulated-α protein; LIF, leukaemia inhibitory factor; LT, leukotriene; MBP, major basic protein; NGF, nerve growth factor; PAF, platelet activating factor; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; SCF, stem cell factor; TF, tissue factor; TGF, transforming growth factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor.