title: CD161 Expression Defines a Th1/Th17 Polyfunctional Subset of Resident Memory T Lymphocytes in Bronchoalveolar Cells.
abstract: Alveolar resident memory T cells (T(RM)) comprise a currently uncharacterized mixture of cell subpopulations. The CD3(+)CD161(+) T cell subpopulation resides in the liver, intestine and skin, but it has the capacity for tissue migration; however, the presence of resident CD3(+)CD161(+) T cells in the bronchoalveolar space under normal conditions has not been reported. Bronchoalveolar cells (BACs) from healthy volunteers were evaluated and found that 8.6% (range 2.5%-21%) of these cells were CD3(+) T lymphocytes. Within the CD3(+) population, 4.6% of the cells (2.1-11.3) expressed CD161 on the cell surface, and 74.2% of the CD161(+)CD3(+) T cells expressed CD45RO. The number of CD3(+)CD161(+) T cells was significantly lower in the bronchoalveolar space than in the blood (4.6% of BACs vs 8.4% of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); P<0.05). We also found that 2.17% of CD4(+) T lymphocytes and 1.52% of CD8(+) T lymphocytes expressed CD161. Twenty-two percent of the alveolar CD3(+)CD161(+) T lymphocytes produced cytokines upon stimulation by PMA plus ionomycin, and significantly more interferon gamma (IFN-γ) was produced compared with other cytokines (P = 0.05). Most alveolar CD3(+)CD161(+) T cells produced interleukin-17 (IL-17) and IFN-γ simultaneously, and the percentage of these cells was significantly higher than the percentage of CD3(+)CD161- T cells. Moreover, the percentage of alveolar CD3(+)CD161(+) T lymphocytes that produced IFN-γ/IL-17 was significantly higher than those in the peripheral blood (p<0.05). In conclusion, Th1/Th17-CD3(+)CD161(+) TRM could contribute to compartment-specific immune responses in the lung.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Department, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Department, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: María Teresa
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Department, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Esmeralda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Juárez
authors.affiliation: Tuberculosis Clinic, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Salazar-Lezama
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Department, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bobadilla
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Research Department, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torres
mesh_terms: D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; D064368:Healthy Volunteers; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000276:immunology; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000276:immunology; D055651:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B / Q000276:immunology*; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D058504:Th17 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D020381:Interleukin-17; C527203:KLRB1 protein, human; D055651:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily B; D007371:Interferon-gamma