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Infection and Immunity, August 2001, p. 4790-4798, Vol. 69, No. 8
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care
Medicine1 and Division of Infectious
Disease and Immunology,2 Department of Medicine,
and Department of Environmental
Medicine,3 New York University School of
Medicine, New York, New York 10016
Received 12 December 2000/Returned for modification 15 February
2001/Accepted 10 May 2001
To better understand the lung and systemic responses of helper T
cells mediating memory immunity to Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, we used three- and four-color flow cytometry to
study the surface phenotype of CD4+ lymphocytes.
Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and peripheral blood (PB) samples
were obtained from a total of 25 subjects, including 10 tuberculosis
(TB)-infected subjects, 8 purified-protein-derivative-negative subjects, and 7 purified-protein-derivative-positive subjects. In marked contrast to CD4+ lymphocytes from PB (9% ± 5%
expressing CD45RA and CD29), the majority (55% ± 16%) of
CD4+ lymphocytes in BAL (ALs) simultaneously expressed
CD45RA, a naïve T-cell marker, and CD29, members of the very
late activation family. Further evaluation revealed that
CD4+ ALs expressed both CD45RA and CD45RO, a memory T-cell
marker. In addition, the proportion of CD4+ lymphocytes
expressing CD69, an early activation marker, was drastically increased
in BAL fluid (83% ± 9%) compared to PB (1% ± 1%), whereas no
significant difference was seen in the expression of CD25, the
low-affinity interleukin 2 receptor (34% ± 15% versus 40% ± 16%).
More importantly, we identified a minor population of
CD69bright CD25bright CD4+
lymphocytes in BAL (10% ± 6%) that were consistently absent from PB
(1% ± 1%). Thus, CD4+ lymphocytes in the lung
paradoxically coexpress surface molecules characteristic of
naïve and memory helper T cells as well as surface molecules
commonly associated with early and late stages of activation. No
difference was observed for ALs obtained from TB-infected and
uninfected lung segments in this regard. It remains to be determined if
these surface molecules are induced by the alveolar environment or if
CD4+ lymphocytes coexpressing this unusual combination of
surface molecules are selectively recruited from the circulation. Our data suggest that ex vivo experiments on helper T-cell subsets that
display distinctive phenotypes may be pivotal to studies on the human
immune response to potential TB vaccines.
Much of our understanding of the
role of pulmonary lymphocytes in host defense comes from the study of
cells recovered from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Lymphocytes
account for approximately 10% of the cell types in BAL fluid obtained
from healthy individuals (16). The distribution of
T lymphocytes in BAL fluid is similar to that in peripheral blood (PB):
65 to 75% are CD3+, 40 to 45% are
CD4+, and 20 to 25% are
CD8+ (16). Persistent exposure to
airborne antigens in the lower respiratory tract does not appear to
result in preferential selection of T-cell clones (5, 10, 17,
50).
We previously characterized the BAL fluid from patients with less
clinically and radiographically advanced tuberculosis (TB) as
lymphocyte predominant (11). The major effector in
cell-mediated immunity in TB is the CD4+ T cell
(8). Pulmonary TB is characterized by
CD4+ T-cell infiltration (2, 19, 23,
48). A preponderance of CD4+ T cells at
the site of infection is associated with recovery following anti-TB
therapy (2) and more rapid disease regression (49). Furthermore, CD4+ T cells
activate and recruit other effector cells to the site of infection,
resulting in an inflammatory response characterized by the influx of
lymphocytes. This amplification process is diminished in human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-coinfected patients (42).
Memory immunity is manifested by enhanced reactions that produce a more
effective protection against pathogens to which an organism has been
previously exposed (13). Following the initial encounter,
the frequency of antigen-specific T cells increases, and this increase
can persist in the absence of antigen for long periods of time. The
ability of memory T cells to infiltrate tissue is fundamental to immune
surveillance. Induction of memory CD4+ T cells is
central to vaccination against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and their ability to circulate from the blood to the lung is pivotal to
mounting an effective defense against pulmonary TB.
It is known that T lymphocytes from the BAL fluid of
purified-protein-derivative-positive (PPD+)
healthy donors proliferate in response to PPD and Candida in vitro as well as T lymphocytes from their PB (24). Earlier
fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) studies performed on cells
recovered from the BAL fluid of healthy controls have determined that
alveolar T lymphocytes are CD45RO+ or
CD45RA Study population.
Three groups of HIV-negative study
subjects were evaluated: healthy volunteers who were
PPD
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.8.4790-4798.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
In Situ Activation of Helper T Cells in the
Lung

![]()
ABSTRACT
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
![]()
INTRODUCTION
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
and express other surface markers
characteristic of an activated phenotype, including CD29, CD49a, CD69,
CD98, and HLA-DR (3, 4, 12, 27, 31, 43). Thus, the
alveolar compartment appear to be dominated by T lymphocytes, most of
which are sensitized memory cells capable of responding to T-cell
receptor (TCR)-mediated stimulation. With the availability of
high-speed multicolor flow cytometry, we sought to reassess the surface
phenotype of the helper T-cell population in the lung in order to gain
further insight into the immunological potential of these cells in
protecting the human host against M. tuberculosis.
![]()
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Top
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
References
, individuals who were
PPD+, and patients with active TB (Table
1). Healthy PPD
and PPD+ subjects had normal chest radiographs.
Active pulmonary TB was diagnosed by abnormal chest radiographs with
respiratory symptoms and by sputum or BAL fluid specimens being smear
and culture positive for M. tuberculosis. All patients and
volunteers gave informed consent, and the protocol was approved by the
Institutional Board of Research Associates at New York University
School of Medicine.
TABLE 1.
Study subject demographics
BAL.
BAL was performed by flexible bronchoscopy with local
lidocaine (Xylocaine) anesthesia. Five 20-ml aliquots of sterile saline solution were instilled and subsequently recovered by gentle suction from the right middle lobe and lingula of the
PPD
and PPD+ subjects.
BAL was performed on TB patients during the first week of conventional
antituberculosis treatment. Samples were obtained from the
radiographically involved and uninvolved segments of the lung. The BAL
fluid was filtered through two layers of sterile cotton gauze to remove
mucus. Sodium citrate was added to the BAL fluid to a final
concentration of 12.5 mM prior to processing. A total cell count was
done in a hemocytometer for each BAL fluid sample. Cell viability was
determined by trypan blue exclusion, and all samples had >90%
viability. Cytocentrifuge smears were prepared by spinning 5 × 104 to 10 × 104 BAL
fluid cells onto microscope slides in 0.5-ml cytofunnels at 500 × g for 5 min in a Cytospin 2 cytocentrifuge (Shandon). Diff-Quik (Dade Behring) staining was performed for each BAL fluid smear. Five hundred cells were counted to obtain the cell differential. A PB sample was obtained from each study subject immediately prior to
BAL for simultaneous evaluation by FACS analysis.
Immunofluorescent labeling. BAL fluid cells were centrifuged in the cold at 750 × g for 10 min. Ten milliliters of prechilled cell dissociation buffer (Sigma) containing 5% fetal calf serum (CDB-FCS) was added to the pellets, and the resuspended BAL fluid cells were passed through a 70-µm-pore-size cell strainer (Falcon). Following centrifugation in the cold at 750 × g for 10 min, pellets were resuspended with CDB-FCS to 1 × 106 to 2 × 106 lymphocytes per ml.
Premixed cocktails containing fluorescent monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to multiple surface markers were reacted with 100 µl of BAL fluid cell suspension or 100 µl of PB on ice for 30 min. T cells (CD3+), B cells (CD19+), and Fc receptor-expressing (CD16+) NK cells (CD56+) were enumerated. T cells were subtyped for helper (CD4+) and suppressor or cytotoxic (CD8+) lineages, as well as
-TCR expression (clone 11F2). Reagents were those commonly used
for in vitro diagnosis. In addition, CD4+
lymphocytes were analyzed for CD25 (clone 2A3), CD29 (clone 4B4), CD45RA (clone L48), CD45RO (clone UCHL-1), and CD69 (clone L78). For
three-color labeling, MAbs conjugated to fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), phycoerythrin (PE), and Cy-Chrome (CC), an energy transfer fluorophore consisting of indodicarbocyanine (Cy5) coupled to PE, were
used. For four-color labeling, MAbs conjugated to FITC, PE, ECD (an
energy transfer fluorophore consisting of Texas red coupled to PE), and
allophycocyanin (APC) were used. Irrelevant MAbs conjugated to the same
fluorophores were used to determine nonspecific cell surface binding.
Fluorescent reagents were obtained from Becton Dickinson
Immunocytometry Systems (BDIS), Pharmingen, or Coulter/Immunotech.
Following surface labeling, cells were treated with FACS lysing
solution (BDIS) according to supplier instructions to simultaneously remove erythrocytes and permeabilize lymphocytes, after which cells
were washed with Dulbecco's phosphate-buffered saline (DPBS) and fixed
with 1% formaldehyde in DPBS. Some cells were washed with DPBS
containing 5% FCS following treatment with FACS lysing solution and
then reacted with a MAb to the nuclear antigen Ki67 (clone MIB-1) or an
irrelevant MAb conjugated to the same fluorophore prior to fixation.
When necessary, preserved cells were stored at 4°C in the dark for
less than 24 h prior to analysis.
Flow cytometry.
Fluorophores used were discriminated by the
specificity of their excitation or emission wavelengths. Cells were
analyzed with a FACS Vantage (BDIS) with flow rates of
5,000
events/s. An argon ion laser was used for 488-nm excitation (FITC, PE,
ECD, or CC) and a mixed-gas Spectrum laser provided 647-nm excitation
(APC). Emitted light was detected by logarithmic amplification through barrier filters specific for the emission range of the different fluorophores: 530/22 nm for FITC, 585/42 nm for PE, 630/22 nm for ECD,
and 675/20 for CC or APC. Fluorescence spillover detected by
inappropriate channels was corrected by electronic compensation. All
data were acquired in list mode and subsequently processed using
CellQuest software on a Macintosh computer system. Forward-scattered light (size) and 90° angle-scattered light (granularity) intensities at 488 nm were used to exclude debris, blood monocytes, and alveolar macrophages (AMs) and select for lymphocytes. The purity of the lymphocyte gate for CD14
CD45bright cells was 89% ± 11% in BAL fluid
and 96% ± 4% in PB. Cells within each subset were reported as
percent lymphocytes or percent CD4+ lymphocytes.
When needed, absolute counts were obtained by multiplication by the
lymphocyte count determined as described above.
Statistics. Descriptive statistics, including means, standard deviations, and percentages, were used to summarize the demographic variables of the study subjects; medians and first and third quartiles were used to summarize BAL fluid and PB data.
The BAL fluid and PB of the PPD
,
PPD+, and TB groups were compared using the
Kruskal-Wallis test. If no significant difference was found between the
three groups, the groups were combined and one-sample tests were
performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test to analyze differences
between the BAL fluid and PB cells. Comparisons of BAL fluid cells from
the involved lobe of TB patients with BAL fluid cells from the lobes of
PPD
and PPD+ subjects
(combined group) were done using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Analyses
of differences between the BAL fluid and PB of the TB patients were
performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
To adjust for possible effects of age (35 years or older versus less
than 35 years) and smoking (ever versus never), multiple linear
regression was also performed on the rank-transformed data. However,
adjusted results are not presented, as they were consistent with the
unadjusted results. All analyses of data were conducted with two-sided
tests of hypotheses at the
0.05 significance level. The analyses
presented are exploratory, since adjustments were not made for multiple
comparisons, and P values are provided for the purpose of
data interpretation.
| |
RESULTS |
|---|
|
|
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Patient demographics and BAL.
Twenty-five HIV-negative
individuals were recruited for this study: 8 PPD
volunteers, 7 PPD+
individuals, and 10 patients with active pulmonary TB (Table 1). The
three groups were similar in terms of age, race, and smoking habit. The
TB patients all had evidence of active pulmonary disease by chest
radiograph, consisting primarily of upper lobe nodular infiltrates
(n = 3), cavities (n = 6), or miliary
TB (n = 1).
and PPD+ subjects and
the involved and uninvolved lobes of all but three TB patients, from
whom only BAL fluid samples from involved lobes were collected. As we
had seen in previous studies, BAL fluid (Table
2) from the involved lobes of TB patients
had significantly fewer AMs (P = 0.01), more
lymphocytes (P = 0.04), and more neutrophils (P = 0.02) than BAL fluid from the combined group of
PPD
and PPD+ patients. TB
patients also had significantly fewer AMs in the involved lobe than in
the uninvolved lobe (P = 0.05). The TB patients fall
into two categories: those whose BAL fluid cell differential was
lymphocyte predominant and those with neutrophil predominance. Five TB
patients with localized pulmonary disease had BAL fluid lymphocyte
counts greater than 20%, as previously described (11). One of these patients had a miliary pattern in the chest radiograph.
|
Lymphocyte subsets.
Table 3
illustrates the distribution of lymphocyte subsets in the PB and BAL
fluid of our study subjects (1 PB and 11 BAL fluid specimens were
excluded because of technical difficulties encountered in the
collection or processing of these specimens).
|
or PPD+ subjects. In
contrast, there were no significant differences in the distribution of
B cells or NK cells in BAL lymphocytes (ALs) among the three groups.
However, combined data from the BAL fluid and PB of all study subjects
indicated that lymphocytes in BAL fluid contained fewer B cells and NK
cells than those in PB (P = 0.001 and P = 0.006, respectively).
There were no significant differences in the distribution of T cells in
PB or BAL fluid lymphocytes among the three subject groups. However, we
found that ALs contained more T cells than BLs for the combined groups
(P = 0.01).
For PPD
or PPD+ subjects,
there were no significant differences in the distribution of
CD4+ T cells in BAL fluid compared to PB. For TB
patients, the percent CD4+ T cells in BAL fluid
lymphocytes was marginally higher than that in PB (P = 0.06). However, analysis by CD4+ count indicated
that the absolute number of helper T cells in the involved lobe was
considerably greater than that in the uninvolved lobe, as well as the
lobes of PPD
and PPD+
subjects (P = 0.01).
There were no significant differences in the distribution of
CD8+ T cells in PB or BAL fluid lymphocytes among
the three subject groups. Furthermore, there were no significant
differences in the CD4/CD8 ratio except for the involved lobe of TB
patients, which had a higher CD4/CD8 ratio than PB (P = 0.05).
We did not observe any significant differences in the distribution of

T cells in PB or BAL fluid lymphocytes among the three subject groups.
Naïve and memory helper T cells.
To better define
helper T cells resident in the lung and compare them to helper T cells
in the circulation, we evaluated the coordinate expression of CD45RA
and CD29 by three-color FACS analysis. Similar percentages of
CD4+ lymphocytes from PB and BAL fluid expressed
CD29 (Fig. 1A). However, a much higher
percentage (P = 0.001) of CD4+
lymphocytes from BAL fluid expressed CD45RA than from PB (Fig. 1B).
More strikingly, the majority of CD4+ ALs
simultaneously expressed CD29 and CD45RA (Fig. 1C).
CD29+ and CD45RA+ cells are
known to constitute discrete subsets within the helper T-lymphocyte
population in PB. Thus, in marked contrast to BAL fluid, only a small
percentage of CD4+ BLs were
CD29+ CD45RA+
(P = 0.001). These findings were consistent for all
three subject groups. It was a surprise to see that molecules
characteristic of naïve (CD45RA) and previously activated
(CD29) phenotypes were coexpressed on alveolar helper T cells.
|
subject and two other TB patients
(data not shown).
|
Activation phenotype of helper T cells. Besides CD29, a very late activation (VLA) molecule, we also compared the expression of other markers of immune activation on helper T cells from the PB and BAL fluid of our study subjects by three-color FACS analysis.
We used CD25, the low-affinity interleukin 2 receptor (IL-2R
), as a
marker of intermediate activation (Fig.
3A). There were no significant
differences in the percent CD25-expressing CD4+
lymphocytes in BAL fluid compared to PB for all three subject groups.
However, the percent CD25-expressing CD4+ BLs of
TB patients was lower than that in the combined group of
PPD
and PPD+ subjects
(P = 0.02).
|
and PPD+ subjects.
|
expression in mononuclear phagocytes by M. tuberculosis
(45). In our FACS analyses, ALs and AMs were discriminated
on the basis of cell size and granularity. The purity of the AL
population (CD45bright
CD14
) was often <90%. Nonetheless, it was
unlikely that the CD25bright
CD69bright CD4+ cells that
we detected were technical artifacts caused by AMs inadvertently
distributing within the "gate" that we used to select for ALs.
There was no correlation (r =
0.08) between the
percent CD25bright
CD69bright CD4+ cells and
the percent CD45bright
CD14
cells recovered within the lymphocyte
gate. One can argue that AMs do not always express CD14
(16), a monocyte-specific marker. However, <1% of the
CD4+ lymphocytes in our BAL fluid specimens were
found to display high levels of CD54 and HLA-DR as
CD4+ AMs.
To see if the "recently activated" helper T cells in the lung were
induced to proliferate in situ, we also determined the expression of
Ki67, a nuclear antigen present in all phases of the cell cycle except
G0 (14). Combined data from the BAL
fluid of the three subject groups showed that very few
CD4+ ALs coexpressed Ki67 and CD25 (median = 1.4%), and there was no significant difference in the percent
CD25+ Ki67+ helper T cells
in the involved lobe of TB patients compared to that in the BAL fluid
of PPD
and PPD+ subjects.
| |
DISCUSSION |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Some, but not all, of our observations from this relatively small
study of 10 TB patients and 15 PPD
or
PPD+ healthy controls are in agreement with
previous findings from our group, as well as other laboratories
(19, 23, 25, 31, 43). We found a fourfold increase in the
number of lymphocytes from the radiographically involved lobes of TB
patients compared to the lobes of healthy controls. Both site-specific
and generalized inflammation was seen, with a twofold increase in the
number of lymphocytes from the radiographically uninvolved lobes of TB
patients. These observations confirm earlier reports that pulmonary TB
was characterized by the influx of lymphocytes (2, 19, 23, 43). No significant differences in the percentage of B cells, NK
cells, 
T cells, or CD4+ or
CD8+ T cells were found when we compared BAL
fluid lymphocytes from TB-infected lung segments with those from
uninfected lung segments. The predominant lymphocyte is the
CD4+ T cell. Our group has noted that lymphocyte
subpopulations recovered in BAL fluid are similar to those at the site
of granuloma formation (23).
In agreement with previous reports (3, 12), we found that
most alveolar CD4+ lymphocytes expressed CD29.
However, at variance with previous reports (4, 12, 27, 41, 43,
48), we also found that most CD4+
lymphocytes expressed CD45RA. Most surprisingly,
CD4+ lymphocytes that expressed CD45RA also
expressed CD45RO. Human helper T cells were first divided using MAbs to
CD45RA and CD29 into two major subsets with divergent in vitro
functions associated with their surface phenotypes.
CD45RA+ CD29
helper T
cells respond poorly to recall antigens, while
CD45RA
CD29+ helper T
cells respond vigorously (33, 34). Subsequently, T cells
were found to express CD45RA or CD45RO, isoforms within the CD45 family
of transmembrane tyrosine phosphatases generated by alternative
splicing (47). CD45RA+
CD45RO
and CD45RA
CD45RO+ subpopulations are commonly referred to
as "naïve" and "memory" T cells, respectively.
Nonetheless, CD45RA and CD45RO phenotypes are known to undergo
bidirectional conversion (6). Human
CD4+ CD45RA+ T-cell lines
generated from the PB of healthy donors coexpressed CD45RO and
displayed a cyclic pattern of CD45RA but not CD45RO expression
following mitogen stimulation (40). Indeed, T cells coexpressing CD45RA and CD45RO were considered intermediates in the
naïve-to-memory transition and 2 to 10% of T cells in
secondary lymphoid tissue were found to express this phenotype
(37). Another group reported that a minor subset (<1%)
of CD4+ lymphocytes in the PB of healthy donors
coexpressed high levels of CD45RA and CD45RO (15). More
recently, investigators discovered that a subset of
CD4+ CD45RA+ cells in PB
was able to produce gamma interferon, a characteristic of
antigen-experienced Th1 cells (46), while studies on the development of protective T-cell responses showed that during primary
cytomegalovirus infection, the first virus-specific
CD4+ T cells to appear in PB displayed a
CD45RA+ CD45RO+ phenotype
(39).
Assessment of periodontal tissue showed that nearly half of the
CD4+ lymphocytes extracted from diseased lesions
coexpressed CD29 and CD45RA (44). CD29 is the
1 subunit of a number of integrins from the
VLA family. The presence of VLA-4
(
4
1) on T cells is associated with their adhesion to and migration through endothelial cell layers (38) by interaction with VCAM-1, receptors
upregulated at proinflammatory sites (26). This can easily
explain why only CD4+ lymphocytes expressing
moderate to high levels of CD29 can enter the alveolar space. A
chemokine produced by cells of monocytic lineage, PARC (also known as
DC-CK1), preferentially attracts CD45RA+ T cells
(1, 18). PARC mRNA is expressed constitutively in human
lung. Perhaps CD29+ CD45RA+
helper T cells, which constitute approximately 10% of the
CD4+ lymphocytes in the PB of healthy subjects
(35, 44), are selectively recruited.
CD69 is one of the earliest surface markers expressed following TCR
ligation. While its ligand has not been identified, CD69 is known to
serve as a costimulatory molecule for T-cell activation, proliferation,
and differentiation (28). In an in vitro model of
transendothelial migration, CD4+ T cells
expressing high levels of VLA-4 were found to migrate (9).
However, only a minority of the migrating cells coexpressed CD69. It is
quite plausible, therefore, that CD69 expression on alveolar helper T
cells was induced following their arrival in the lung. CD69 expression
on 
as well as 
human T cells can be driven by polyclonal
stimulators such as bacterial lipopolysaccharide or tumor necrosis
factor alpha (21). Our group previously reported that
tumor necrosis factor alpha is spontaneously released by BAL fluid
cells and that the amount released by cells recovered from infected
lung segments is 10-fold higher than that released by cells from
uninfected lung segments (22). If CD69 expression is a
relevant indication, then BAL fluid CD4+
lymphocytes from all three subject groups appear to be uniformly sensitized.
Polyclonal helper T-cell activation in the lung did not, however,
progress beyond the early stage. In agreement with reports from other
laboratories (3, 31), we found that only half as many
CD4+ lymphocytes in BAL fluid expressed CD25 as
expressed CD69. Using coordinate detection, we were able to identify
CD4+ lymphocytes expressing high levels of both
CD69 and CD25. This subset constituted approximately 10% of the helper
T-cell population in the BAL fluid of all three subject groups. Unlike
CD45RA+ CD45RO+ T cells in
secondary lymphoid tissues (37), the ones in BAL fluid,
including the CD25bright
CD69bright subset, were mostly in the
G0 phase of the cell cycle. Our finding is
confirmed by transbronchial biopsies from clinically well lung transplant recipients, which showed few (0 to 3%) proliferating T
lymphocytes (32). While TCR ligation is sufficient to
induce IL-2R
expression, IL-2 production is dependent on
costimulatory signals (36). IL-2, secreted mainly by
CD4+ T cells, is required for progression through
G1.
Our observations strongly implicate the alveolar space as an environment in which the majority of CD4+ T cells are sensitized, or appropriately poised, to respond to exogenous pathogens. A minor population of CD4+ T cells, presumably those that have encountered a specific antigen, are driven further along the activation pathway. They are not, however, sufficiently triggered to initiate replication in the lung. It remains to be determined if these stimulated helper T cells subsequently acquire homing receptors that endow them with the capacity to migrate to peripheral lymphoid organs, where costimulatory signals from accessory cells are available to potentiate IL-2 production.
The major difference between TB-infected and uninfected lung segments in our study appears to be the number of CD4+ lymphocytes. Seymour et al. (44) reported that a higher proportion of CD4+ lymphocytes from diseased periodontal tissue were CD29+ CD45RA+ than in nondiseased tissue. Therefore, it is perplexing that no discernible differences in the distribution of helper T-cell subsets or variations in the level of activation molecules that they expressed were found in the lung segments of our TB patients. There were numerous reports that the proliferative response of human PB lymphocytes to the whole bacilli and recombinant or secreted proteins of M. tuberculosis was diminished in TB patients relative to that in tuberculin-positive healthy controls (7, 29, 30), and while patients with minimal disease gave a response comparable to that of M. tuberculosis BCG-vaccinated donors, patients with active advanced disease did not (7). Thus, it will be intriguing to determine if there are discernible differences in CD4+ lymphocytes of anergic and nonanergic TB patients. Likewise, it will be interesting to determine if CD4+ CD45RA+ CD45RO+ cells from the alveolar space display discordant levels of CD49d-CD29. It was proposed that heterogeneity in integrin expression could represent distinctive functional and homing capacities (20). Studying additional phenotypic markers on helper T cells in the alveolar space will allow us to pursue relevant populations in PB, obviating invasive bronchoscopy procedures, in order to evaluate potential TB vaccines. Assessing the cytokine profile of freshly explanted T cells in the BAL fluid of TB patients and healthy controls, as well as the role of alveolar CD8+ T cells in regulating CD4+ T-cell activity, will better our understanding of normal immunophysiology in the lung as well as elucidating the immunopathology underlying pulmonary TB.
| |
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
|---|
We thank M. Bodkin, D. Chan, and J. Law for technical assistance and E. Ching for manuscript preparation.
This work was supported by a Heiser Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship Award (B. Raju), NIH grants MO1 00096 and HL62055 (W. Rom), NIH grants AI41949 and AI44729 (D. B. Tse), and the GCRC and CFAR at New York University School of Medicine.
| |
FOOTNOTES |
|---|
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: OB-C&D Rm 646, Bellevue Hospital, 462 First Ave., New York, NY 10016. Phone: (212) 263-8848. Fax: (212) 263-0584. E-mail: tsed01{at}med.nyu.edu.
Present address: State University of New York, Downstate Medical
Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203-2098.
Editor: R. N. Moore
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