Oligoclonal CD4+ T cells in the lungs of patients with severe emphysema.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Within the lungs of patients with severe emphysema, inflammation continues despite smoking cessation. Foci of T lymphocytes in the small airways of patients with emphysema have been associated with disease severity. Whether these T cells play an important role in this continued inflammatory response is unknown.

Objective

The aim of this study was to determine if T cells recruited to the lungs of subjects with severe emphysema contain oligoclonal T-cell populations, suggesting their accumulation in response to antigenic stimuli.

Methods

Lung T-cell receptor (TCR) Vbeta repertoire from eight patients with severe emphysema and six control subjects was evaluated at the time of tissue procurement (ex vivo) and after 2 weeks of culture with interleukin 2 (in vitro

SUBMITTER: Sullivan AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2718531 | biostudies-literature | 2005 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature