Document 0879
 DOCN  M95A0879
 TI    Vernal keratoconjunctivitis: a model of 5q cytokine gene cluster
       disease.
 DT    9510
 AU    Bonini S; Bonini S; Lambiase A; Magrini L; Rumi C; Del Prete G;
       Schiavone M; Rotiroti G; Onorati P; Rutella S; Chair of Clinical
       Immunology and Allergology, Second University; of Naples, Italy.
 SO    Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 1995 May-Jun;107(1-3):95-8. Unique Identifier
       : AIDSLINE MED/95337860
 AB    Clinical studies of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) patients show that
       total IgE serum levels are increased even in the absence of IgE
       antibodies to common allergens. Activated eosinophils are also a
       constant feature of VKC at both the circulation (cytofluorimetry) and
       tissue (tear cytology and conjunctival scrapings) levels. Moreover,
       allergen challenge induces a prolonged inflammatory reaction with a
       prevalent participation of eosinophils, lymphocytes and possibly
       basophils. Immunohistochemical studies of VKC biopsies show a
       multicellular inflammatory infiltrate with prevalence of activated
       eosinophils, mast cells and CD4 lymphocytes in both epithelium and
       subepithelium. Mediator studies indicate that eosinophil products
       (eosinophil peroxidase, eosinophinal cationic protein and
       eosinophil-derived neurotoxin/eosinophil protein X) are increased in
       both serum and tears, where tryptase and interleukin (IL)-5 are also
       detectable in higher amounts than in controls. On the basis of these
       findings, we postulate that VKC can represent a phenotypic model of
       up-regulation of the cytokine gene cluster on chromosome 5q which
       through its products (IL-3, IL-4, IL-5 and
       granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor) regulates Th2
       prevalence, IgE production as well as mast cell and eosinophil growth
       and function in VKC.
 DE    Allergens/PHARMACOLOGY  Chromosome Mapping  *Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5
       Conjunctivitis, Allergic/*GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY/PATHOLOGY
       Eosinophils/IMMUNOLOGY  *Gene Expression Regulation/DRUG EFFECTS
       Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/BIOSYNTHESIS/
       *GENETICS  Human  IgE/BIOSYNTHESIS/BLOOD
       Interleukins/BIOSYNTHESIS/*GENETICS
       Keratoconjunctivitis/*GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY/PATHOLOGY  Mast
       Cells/IMMUNOLOGY  Tears/CYTOLOGY  Th2 Cells/IMMUNOLOGY  JOURNAL ARTICLE
       REVIEW  REVIEW, TUTORIAL

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