Identification of genes expressed by human airway eosinophils after an in vivo allergen challenge.

Background: The mechanism for the contribution of eosinophils (EOS) to asthma pathophysiology is not fully understood. Genome-wide expression analysis of airway EOS by microarrays has been limited by the ability to generate high quality RNA from sufficient numbers of airway EOS.

Objective: To identify, by genome-wide expression analyses, a compendium of expressed genes characteristic of airway EOS following an in vivo allergen challenge.