Koch et al. [17] observed a smoking-related cytotoxic effector phenotype (CD27-/CD45RA +) on CD8 + T lymphocytes in smokers with and without COPD compared to HNS whereas Urbanowicz et al. [21] on the other hand detected a lower proportion of TEMRA cells in COPD and S. Finally, three studies demonstrated increased expression of chemokine receptors on CD8 + T lymphocytes in COPD [15, 17, 19]. Here, CD27 is linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.