CXCR6 identifies a putative population of retained human lung T cells characterised by co-expression of activation markers.

Expressions of activation markers have been described on the surface of T cells in the blood and the lung in both health and disease. We have studied the distribution of activation markers on human lung T cells and have found that only certain populations exist. Importantly, the presence or absence of some markers appears to predict those of others, in particular cells which express CD103 also express CD49a and CD69, whereas cells which do not express CD69 also do not express CD49a or CD103.

IL-4-expressing bronchoalveolar T cells from asthmatic and healthy subjects preferentially express CCR 3 and CCR 4.

Background: The concept of the polarization of chemokine receptor expression by T(H)1 and T(H)2 cells provides an attractive mechanism for their differential recruitment to tissue, which could be subject to disease-specific therapeutic intervention. The paradigm that T(H)1 cells preferentially express CXCR 3 and CCR 5 and T(H)2 cells preferentially express CCR 3, CCR 4, and CCR 8 has been well established in the setting of in vitro polarized cell lines; however, the situation in vivo appears less clear-cut.

Objective: We sought to investigate whether this pattern of polarization can be demonstrated in human lung tissue.

Differential expression of CCR3 and CXCR3 by human lung and bone marrow-derived mast cells: implications for tissue mast cell migration.

The selective microlocalization of mast cells within specific airway structures, such as the airway smooth muscle and submucosal glands, in asthma is important in the pathophysiology of inflammatory lung disease. Chemokines are likely candidates mediating mast cell migration into these tissue compartments. In this study, we have defined the chemokine receptor profile of human lung mast cells (HLMC) compared with mast cells derived from human bone marrow (BM) and the human mast cell line HMC-1.