Functional analysis of human bronchial mucosal T cells extracted with interleukin-2

Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 1994 Jun;149(6):1608-13. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.149.6.7911708.

Abstract

Functional analysis of T cells from the bronchial mucosa has been limited by difficulties in extracting T cells from this tissue. Because interleukin-2 (IL-2) is chemotactic for T cells, we determined whether this cytokine could be used to extract T cells from human bronchial wall (BW). Fresh tissue was obtained from 21 patients undergoing surgery for malignancy. Within the BW, 95% of T cells stained for the memory/activation marker CD45RO. When BW sections were incubated with IL-2 for 24 h, 88 to 91% of T cells emigrated into the culture medium. Compared with autologous blood T cells (also exposed to IL-2), these BW T cells expressed CD2 at a greater intensity and showed a fourfold reduction in cloning efficiency in response to phytohemagglutinin, and T-cell clones derived from the BW population displayed a tendency for higher interferon-gamma production. Furthermore, we were also able to extract and clone T cells from bronchoscopic biopsies in four subjects, suggesting that this method will provide a new avenue for examining T-cell function in airway inflammatory diseases.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / analysis
  • Antigens, Surface / analysis
  • Asthma / genetics
  • Asthma / immunology*
  • Asthma / pathology*
  • Biopsy
  • Bronchi / immunology
  • Bronchi / metabolism
  • Bronchi / pathology*
  • Bronchoscopy
  • CD2 Antigens
  • CD3 Complex / analysis
  • Carcinoma / pathology*
  • Cell Separation / methods*
  • Chemotaxis, Leukocyte
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic*
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Interferon-gamma / metabolism
  • Interleukin-2*
  • Interleukin-4 / metabolism
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens / analysis
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens / classification
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Middle Aged
  • Mucous Membrane
  • Phytohemagglutinins
  • Receptors, Immunologic / analysis
  • T-Lymphocytes / chemistry
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes / pathology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte
  • Antigens, Surface
  • CD2 Antigens
  • CD3 Complex
  • Interleukin-2
  • Phytohemagglutinins
  • Receptors, Immunologic
  • Interleukin-4
  • Interferon-gamma
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens