title: T-cell cytokine profile evaluated at the single cell level in BAL and blood in allergic asthma.
abstract: Atopic asthma is characterized by bronchial mucosal inflammation, involving eosinophils, mast cells, and lymphocytes. It has been suggested that the development and maintenance of this allergic inflammation is due to T-lymphocyte activation with predominant production of the cytokines interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-5. To address the ability of peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage T-cells to generate IL-2, IL-4, or interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), we have employed a flow cytometric method which permits analysis of cytokine production at the single cell level within 5 h of obtaining cell samples. When stimulated with PMA and ionomycin, there was a greatly increased percentage of IFN-gamma-producing cells among bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) T-cells from the subjects with asthma (median 74%), compared with atopic and nonatopic controls (35 and 43%, respectively; P>0.01). The proportion of BAL T-cells producing IL-4 was small (median 1.7%, range 0 to 7.8% in the asthmatic group). In all three groups, the proportion of BAL T-cells producing IL-2 or IFN-gamma was increased compared with T-cells from peripheral blood. There was no significant difference between the three groups in the percentage of BAL T-cells producing IL-2, or in the percentage of peripheral blood T-cells producing IFN-gamma, IL-2 or IL-4. These findings indicate that IL-4 production is confined to a relatively small proportion of airway and blood T-cells and that there is selective enhancement of IFN-gamma production by airway T-cells in asthma.
authors.affiliation: Immunopharmacology Group, Southampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krug
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Madden
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Redington
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lackie
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Djukanovic
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Schauer
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Holgate
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Frew
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Howarth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015759:Ionomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4; D015759:Ionomycin; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate