Activated eosinophils express a high level of IL-1β mRNA. (a) Blood eosinophils were cultured for 0 (T0), 3, 6, 9, and 20 h with medium, (resting) TNF-α (TNF), IL-3 (IL3), IL-5, TNF-α plus IL-3 (TNF + IL3), or TNF-α plus IL-5 (TNF + IL5). Levels of IL1B mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR, normalized to GUSB and expressed as fold change (2−∆∆Ct) from T0. Data are mean ± SEM of experiments on eosinophil preparations from three subjects. ∗
p < 0.05 for TNF-α plus IL-3 versus resting, IL-3, IL-5, or TNF-α alone or IL-5 plus TNF-α; #
p < 0.05 for TNF-α plus IL-3 versus resting, IL-5, and TNF-α, at corresponding time points. (b) Eosinophils were cultured with medium alone (resting) or TNF-α plus IL-3 for 4.5 h, before the addition of DRB. After DRB addition, cells were harvested at T0, 30, and 90 min and IL1B mRNA was quantified by RT-qPCR. Data were normalized to GUSB and expressed as the percentage of mRNA remaining compared to T0. Data are presented as the mean of experiments on eosinophil preparations from 4 donors. The half-life time of IL1B mRNA for both conditions is indicated in the legend on the graph.