title: Characterization of the interstitial lung and peripheral blood T cell receptor repertoire in cigarette smokers.
abstract: T lymphocytes modulate the pulmonary inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clonality within the interstitial lung and peripheral blood T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in smokers. Interstitial T lymphocytes were isolated from surplus tissue of 16 patients (63 +/- 9 [+/- SD] yr old, 11 male) undergoing surgery due to lung cancer (n = 15) or emphysema. TCR clonality was assessed by PCR amplification followed by spectratyping. Nearly all TCR of interstitial lung lymphocytes showed oligoclonal bands (CD4(+) subset 13/16 patients, 81%; CD8(+) 100%) indicating a specific differentiation. Peripheral blood T lymphocytes (PBL) TCR (especially CD4(+)) had less oligoclonal bands (CD4(+) 31%, CD8(+) 88%). Likewise, more oligoclonal bands were seen in lung TCR (total of 168 bands; 37 CD4(+); 131 CD8(+)), compared with 59 bands in PBL TCR (13 CD4(+); 46 CD8(+)). Intraindividual comparison revealed a more prominent difference in TCR oligoclonality between lung and blood in CD8(+) T cells (median of difference lung minus blood 5; interquartile range 1-10; P = 0.002) compared with CD4(+) T cells (median 2, 0-3, P = 0.039). Thus, TCR oligoclonality is preferentially found in the CD8(+) T cell subset, most distinctive in the lung. These findings indicate a specific interstitial T cell differentiation in response to local stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary Department, Mainz University Hospital, Langenbeckstrasse 1, D-55131 Mainz, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Korn
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wiewrodt
authors.forename: Yvonne C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Walz
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: Eckhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Krummenauer
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buhl
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001769:Blood / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011656:Pulmonary Emphysema / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D012907:Smoking / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell