Apoptosis and eosinophils: Regulation and clinical relevance

Apoptosis, or program cell death, is a process of fundamental biological importance, and eosinophil apoptosis is believed to be the primary mechanism for removing eosinophils from the lung followed by their recognition and phagocytosis by macrophages or resident bronchial epithelial cells. There is, therefore, an increased interest in the fundamental role of the signals and intracellular signaling molecules that initiate and control apoptosis in human eosinophils though much remains to be established. This article reviews briefly the cross talks between apoptosis and eosinophils and summarizes the recent developments in this field.