We investigated the association of polymorphisms in CCR3 and IL5RA with asthma susceptibility or peripheral blood eosinophilia and the effects of the polymorphisms on receptor expression.
Eotaxin-1/CCL11, eotaxin-2/CCL24, and eotaxin-3/CCL26 bind specifically and exclusively to CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 3, which is a potential therapeutic target in treating the peribronchial eosinophilia associated with allergic airway diseases.
These findings suggest that multiple C-C chemokines, acting at least in part via CCR3, contribute to bronchial eosinophilia in both atopic and nonatopic asthma.