Characterization of the interstitial lung and peripheral blood T cell receptor repertoire in cigarette smokers.

T lymphocytes modulate the pulmonary inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clonality within the interstitial lung and peripheral blood T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire in smokers. Interstitial T lymphocytes were isolated from surplus tissue of 16 patients (63 +/- 9 [+/- SD] yr old, 11 male) undergoing surgery due to lung cancer (n = 15) or emphysema. TCR clonality was assessed by PCR amplification followed by spectratyping. Nearly all TCR of interstitial lung lymphocytes showed oligoclonal bands (CD4(+) subset 13/16 patients, 81%; CD8(+) 100%) indicating a specific differentiation. Peripheral blood T lymphocytes (PBL) TCR (especially CD4(+)) had less oligoclonal b…