title: T cell receptor-Vβ repertoires in lung and blood CD4+ and CD8+ T cells of pulmonary sarcoidosis patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sarcoidosis patients have accumulations of activated CD4+ T cells in affected organs, such as the lungs. T cell receptor (TCR) Vβ-chain usage has been incompletely characterized in these patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We surveyed the TCR Vβ usage in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 15 HLA-typed Scandinavian sarcoidosis patients. In addition, PBMC from 9 healthy volunteers and BAL cells from three of them were examined. Using 21 Vβ family-specific antibodies, we covered approximately 70% of all Vβ chains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In BAL T cells from sarcoidosis patients, we identified 16 CD4+ T cell expansions in 271 analyses (5.9%) and 21 CD8+ expansions in 240 analyses (8.7%). In PBMC we found 9 CD4+ expansions in 276 analyses (3.3%) and 12 CD8+ expansions out of 263 analyses (4.6%). Consistent with previous studies we found Vβ8 and Vβ16 expansions in sarcoidosis patients' lungs. In addition, we found lung restricted Vβ22 expansions in three HLA DRB1 03+ patients. However, we found no statistically significant difference in frequency of expansions between patients and healthy controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The identified T cell expansions in present study indicate specific antigen recognition in the lungs of sarcoidosis patients.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Medicine Unit, Department of Medicine, Solna and Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital Solna, Stockholm, Sweden. kerstin.ahlgren@ki.se.
authors.forename: Kerstin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Ahlgren
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruckdeschel
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eklund
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wahlström
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grunewald
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000737:chemistry*; D008168:Lung / Q000737:chemistry*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000032:analysis*; D017565:Sarcoidosis, Pulmonary / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta