Presence of factors chemotactic for granulocytes in hypereosinophilic syndrome sera: relation with alterations in eosinophil migration.

Recent work has underlined a structural and metabolic heterogeneity amongst blood eosinophils in various hypereosinophilic diseases. Little is known about the factors responsible for this variability. We have identified granulocyte chemotactic factors, termed GCFs in the sera of five patients with hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES). Sera from normal controls or from 20 patients with blood hypereosinophilia of various causes, but with little or no hypodense blood eosinophils, did not demonstrate any chemotactic activity. Two distinct GCFs were characterized, either by gel filtration or isoelectric focusing (molecular weights of 600 kD and 240 kD; pIs of approximately 5 and 7). These fractions are sensitive to proteolytic enzymes and to heating to 100 degrees C but not to 56 degrees C. The activity of GCFs has been tested towards neutrophils and eosinophils. The fractions of 240 kD and pI 7 appear more selective for the eosinophil lineage. Checkerboard analysis shows that such fractions are primarily chemotactic. In addition, hypodense eosinophils appear defective in random motility and chemotaxis towards chemotactic agents which are effective on normodense eosinophils. Moreover, preincubation of normodense eosinophils with HES sera rendered these cells unresponsive to very efficient chemotactic agents such as leukotriene B4 (LTB4) (decrease in migration of 91%; P less than 10(-3), formyl methionyl leucyl phenylalanyl (Fmlp) (decrease of 95%; P less than 10(-2)), HES sera (decrease of 91 to 93%). These findings suggest a process of deactivation of blood eosinophils with the possible retention within the circulation of activated hypodense eosinophils in HES.