title: Antigenic specificity and subset analysis of T cells isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage and pleural effusion of patients with lung disease.
abstract: Cellular infiltrates of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and pleural effusion from patients with tuberculosis (TB) and lung cancer were characterized for the presence of different T cell subsets by phenotypic analysis. The specificity of the T cells for mycobacterial antigens was then compared for the two disease compartments. The composition of T cell subsets within the BAL, in contrast to pleural effusion cells (PEC), revealed evidence of sequestration of CD8+ cells. BAL T cells were found to be a predominantly CD29+ DR+ memory population of activated cells. Although polyclonal populations of BAL T cells proliferated poorly to Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens, mycobacterial antigen-reactive monoclonal T cell populations could be derived from the alveolar compartment. Two clones were shown to recognize the 65-kD heat shock protein of mycobacteria, and one of these clones recognized a conserved sequence of the molecule. Several BAL-derived clones, responding to a mycobacterial soluble extract, did not, however, recognize purified mycobacterial antigens, previously identified as highly stimulatory for PEC-derived T cells. T cell clones, derived from PEC of two TB patients, responded to the 38-kD and 71-kD, as well as the 65-kD mycobacterial antigens. Examination of the activation requirements of BAL-derived T cell clones, specific for mycobacterial antigens, revealed that exogenous IL-2 was necessary for the T cells to sustain proliferation. This was in contrast to the mycobacterial antigen-reactive T cells cloned from PEC. These results suggest that T cell populations with distinct antigen specificities and activation requirements are present in BAL and PEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Faith
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Schellenberg
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Mitchell
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000276:immunology; D002999:Clone Cells; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D015703:Antigens, CD; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins