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Andrew P. Fontenot, Scott J. Canavera, Laia Gharavi, Lee S. Newman, Brian L. Kotzin
J Clin Invest. 2002;
110(10):1473
doi:10.1172/JCI15846
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hronic beryllium disease (CBD) is caused by exposure to beryllium in the workplace, and it remains an important public health concern. Evidence suggests that CD4+ T cells play a critical role in the development of this disease. Using intracellular cytokine staining, we found that the frequency of beryllium-specific CD4+ T cells in the lungs (bronchoalveolar lavage) of 12 CBD patients ranged from 1.4% to 29% (mean 17.8%), and these T cells expressed a Th1-type phenotype in response to beryllium sulfate (BeSO4). Few, if any, beryllium-specific CD8+ T cells were identified. In contrast, the frequency of beryllium-responsive CD4+ T cells in the blood of these subjects ranged from undetectable to 1 in 500. No correlation was observed between the frequency of beryllium-responsive bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) CD4+ T cells as detected by intracellular staining and lymphocyte proliferation in culture after BeSO4 exposure. Staining for surface marker expression showed that nearly all BAL T cells exhibit an effector memory cell phenotype. These results demonstrate a dramatically high frequency and compartmentalization of antigen-specific effector memory CD4+ cells in the lungs of CBD patients. These studies provide insight into the phenotypic and functional characteristics of antigen-specific T cells invading other inaccessible target organs in human disease.
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