Charcot-Leyden crystals: solving an enigma
Year: 2018
Type: article
Abstract: In this issue of Blood, Ueki et al elegantly demonstrate the active formation of Charcot-Leyden crystals (CLCs) during eosinophil cytolysis.(1) After confirming the association of CLC deposition with eosinophilic inflammation and eosinophil plasma membrane disruption in tissue sections by light and electron microscopy, Ueki et al used a combination of sophisticated imaging techniques, including immunofluorescent time-lapse photography, to follow the course of CLC formation in vitro in response to a variety of stimuli that induce eosinophil extracellular trap death (EETosis). The association of CLC with the disintegration of eosinophils was proposed as early as the 1940s,(2) and agents, such as Aerosol MA, which disrupt the integrity of eosinophils, were subsequently shown to promote CLC formation in vitro in the surrounding media.(3) Ueki et al provide the first definitive evidence that CLC formation is energy-dependent and closely tied to the process of EETosis (see figure).
Source: Blood
Author: Amy D. Klion
Institution: National Institutes of Health
Language: English
Subfield: Rheumatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2900476334