SUPEROXIDE RELEASE AND NADPH OXIDASE COMPONENTS IN MATURE HUMAN PHAGOCYTES - CORRELATION BETWEEN FUNCTIONAL-CAPACITY AND AMOUNT OF FUNCTIONAL PROTEINS

We evaluated the interrelationship between the respiratory activity an d amount of proteins responsible for this function in normal and subno rmal human phagocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and macrop hages. The superoxide-producing capacity was eosinophils>neutrophils>m onocytes=macrophages when the cells were stimulated with chemotactic p eptide or phorbol ester. Consonant with this finding, the protein cont ent of three essential components of phagocyte oxidase (p22-phox, p67- phox, and p47-phox) was also eosinophils>neutrophils>monocytes=macroph ages. On the other hand, the amount of another essential component, gp 91-phox, was macrophage>neutrophils>eosinophils>monocytes. These findi ngs together indicate an overall positive interrelationship between pr otein content and its responsible function, though only gp91-phox was not associated with the functional capacity and low amounts of this co mponent supported the increased respiratory bunt activity of eosinophi ls. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.