About the Authors

Syed R. Gilani

Contributed equally to this work with: Syed R. Gilani, Louis J. Vuga

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Louis J. Vuga

Contributed equally to this work with: Syed R. Gilani, Louis J. Vuga

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Kathleen O. Lindell

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Kevin F. Gibson

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Jianmin Xue

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Naftali Kaminski

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Vincent G. Valentine

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, United States of America

Emily K. Lindsay

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

M. Patricia George

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Chad Steele

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Alabama, Birmingham, Alabama, United States of America

Steven R. Duncan

duncsr@upmc.edu

Affiliation Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Competing Interests

The contributing author (SRD) has received a one-time ∼$50,000 grant from APT Pharmaceuticals to help in development of a humanized mouse model, in which immunodeficient animals are reconstituted with human T-cells. However, this work has no direct bearing on the data or conclusions presented in this paper. In addition, SRD, in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh, now have patents pending that include the use of T-cell characteristics as surrogate biomarkers for lung diseases, including IPF.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: SRG LJV KFG JX VGV MPG CS SD. Performed the experiments: SRG LJV JX EKL MPG CS SD. Analyzed the data: SRG LJV KOL KFG JX EKL NK VGV CS SD. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: LJV KOL KFG EKL NK VGV MPG CS SD. Wrote the paper: KFG SD. Proofed paper and contributed to text: SRG. Developed the confocal imaging methodologies used herein and contributed materials, analyzed these data, and provided text material describing same: LJV. Recruited subjects and organized/supervised specimen collections, abstracted and organized clinical data, cared for clinical patients (subjects), proofed paper and contributed to same, and contributed valuable ideas: KOL. Actively recruited subjects and organized specimen collections, abstracted and organized clinical data, proofed paper and contributed to same along with ideas/manuscript text: KFG. Performed and interpreted lab experiments, assisted with data management and analyses, and proofed and contributed to manuscript: JX. Performed large proportion of lab assays, and contributed to data organization, text proofing and editing, and figure design and construction: EKL. Assisted with initial experimental design, subject recruitment, and clinical data procurements and organizations, and edited paper and contributed scientific scrutiny to same: NK. Contributed heavily to data treatment and statistical analyses, and scientific proofreading and manuscript editing: VGV. Contributed to scientific proofing and editing of paper: MPG. Edited paper: CS.