T-bet, GATA3, RORC, FOXP3, and mAChR (MR1–5) mRNA expression in human T cells.

<p>(<b>A</b>) Nuclear transcription factors (T-bet, GATA3, RORC, and FOXP3) and mAChR (MR1–5) mRNA expression in T cells was confirmed by PCR. (<b>B</b>) PBT cells from the healthy nonsmokers (<b><i>a</i></b>) or patients with SCOPD (<b><i>b</i></b>) were analyzed either immediately upon isolation or after stimulation with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 Abs for 5 days, as detailed in the <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112350#s2" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a>. The data from 7 independent experiments are expressed as the mean ± SD of the mRNA in question relative to that in unstimulated T cells (control), which is taken as 1. The comparisons were determined by the Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of variance on ranks. *P<0.05 compared with the relevant control.