Eosinophils and basophils, when activated, become major sources of cysteinyl leukotrienes, eicosanoid mediators pertinent to allergic inflammation. We show that the C-C chemokines, eotaxin and RANTES (regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted), activate eosinophils and basophils for enhanced leukotriene C 4 (LTC 4 ) generation by distinct signaling and compartmentalization mechanisms involving the induced formation of new cytoplasmic lipid body organelles. Chemokineinduced lipid body formation and enhanced LTC 4 release were both mediated by CCR3 receptor G protein-linked downstream signaling involving activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases. Chemokine-elicited lipid body numbers correlated with increased calcium ionophore-stimulated LTC 4 production; and as demonstrated by intracellular immunofluorescent localization of newly formed eicosanoid, lipid bodies were the predominant sites of LTC 4 synthesis in both chemokine-stimulated eosinophils and chemokine-primed and ionophore-activated eosinophils. Eotaxin and RANTES initiated signaling via phosphoinositide 3-kinase and mitogen-activated protein kinases both elicits the formation of lipid body domains and promotes LTC 4 formation at these specific extranuclear sites.

We investigated whether cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLT) are intracrine signal transducers that regulate human eosinophil degranulation mechanisms. Interleukin (IL)-16, eotaxin, and RANTES stimulate vesicular transport–mediated release of preformed, granule-derived IL-4 and RANTES from eosinophils and the synthesis at intracellular lipid bodies of LTC4, the dominant 5-lipoxygenase–derived eicosanoid in eosinophils. 5-Lipoxygenase inhibitors blocked IL-16–, eotaxin-, and RANTES-induced IL-4 release; but neither exogenous LTC4, LTD4, nor LTE4 elicited IL-4 release. Only after membrane permeabilization enabled cysLTs to enter eosinophils did LTC4 and LTD4 stimulate IL-4, but not RANTES, release. LTC4-elicited IL-4 release was pertussis toxin inhibitable, but inhibitors of the two known G protein–coupled cysLT receptors (cysLTRs) (CysLT1 and CysLT2) did not block LTC4-elicited IL-4 release. LTC4 was 10-fold more potent than LTD4 and at low concentrations (0.3–3 nM) elicited, and at higher concentrations (>3 nM) inhibited, IL-4 release from permeabilized eosinophils. Likewise with intact eosinophils, LTC4 export inhibitors, which increased intracellular LTC4, inhibited eotaxin-elicited IL-4 release. Thus, LTC4 acts, via an intracellular cysLTR distinct from CysLT1 or CysLT2, as a signal transducer to selectively regulate IL-4 release. These results demonstrate that LTC4, well recognized as a paracrine mediator, may also dynamically govern inflammatory and immune responses as an intracrine mediator of eosinophil cytokine secretion.

Human eosinophils are potential sources of inflammatory and immunomodulatory mediators, including cysteinyl leukotrienes, chemokines, and cytokines, which are pertinent to allergic inflammation. We evaluated the means by which IL-16, a recognized eosinophil chemoattractant, might act on eosinophils to affect their capacity to release leukotriene C4 (LTC4) or their preformed stores of chemokines (eotaxin, RANTES) or Th1 (IL-12) or Th2 (IL-4) cytokines. IL-16 dose dependently (0.01–100 nM) elicited new lipid body formation, intracellular LTC4 formation at lipid bodies, and priming for enhanced calcium ionophore-activated LTC4 release. IL-16 also elicited brefeldin A-inhibitable, vesicular transport-mediated release of preformed IL-4, but not IL-12, from eosinophils. CD4 is a recognized IL-16R, and accordingly anti-CD4 Fab, soluble CD4, and a CD4 domain 4-based IL-16 blocking peptide inhibited the actions of IL-16 on eosinophils. Although CD4 is not G-protein coupled, pertussis toxin inhibited IL-16-induced eosinophil activation. IL-16 actions were found to be mediated by the autocrine activity, not of platelet-activating factor, but rather of endogenous CCR3-acting chemokines. IL-16 induced the rapid vesicular transport-mediated release of RANTES. The effects of IL-16 were blocked by CCR3 inhibitors (met-RANTES, anti-CCR3 mAb) and by neutralizing anti-eotaxin and anti-RANTES mAbs, but not by platelet-activating factor receptor antagonists (CV6209, BN52021). RANTES and eotaxin each enhanced LTC4 and IL-4 (but not IL-12) release. Therefore, IL-16 activation of eosinophils is CD4-mediated to elicit the extracellular release of preformed RANTES and eotaxin, which then in an autocrine fashion act on plasma membrane CCR3 receptors to stimulate both enhanced LTC4 production and the preferential release of IL-4, but not IL-12, from within eosinophils.