Cells of the immune system congregate at various sites throughout the body, and it is at these sites that they become primed to respond to invading microbes. Although in some species immune cell congregates can be found in the airways of the lung at all times, most healthy humans lack these congregates (which in the lung are known as bronchus-associated lymphoid tissues (BALT). Now, in a study appearing in the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Troy Randall and colleagues from the Trudeau Institute have shown that BALT is induced to form in the airways of the lungs of patients with various lung diseases. In particular, inducible BALT was observed in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with pulmonary complications. The inducible BALT was most developed in individuals with high levels of expression of molecules involved in the pathogenesis of RA and its presence correlated with tissue damage in the lungs. This study leads the authors to suggest that inducible BALT might have a role in the lung pathogenesis associated with RA and that understanding the mechanisms by which BALT is induced in the airways of the lung might provide new targets for the treatment of this disease.
TITLE: Inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (iBALT) in patients with pulmonary complications of rheumatoid arthritis
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Troy D. Randall
Trudeau Institute, Lake Saranac, New York, USA.
View the PDF of this article at: https://the-jci/article.php?id=28756
JCI table of contents: December 1, 2006
Contact: Karen Honey
Journal of Clinical Investigation
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