AIM2 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Although CD14+ PBMCs showed increased AIM2 protein expression in COPD patients compared to non-COPD smokers and healthy subjects [14], stimulation of PBMCs with poly-dA:dT as surrogate dsDNA was able to induce IL-1α release only when cells were obtained from exacerbated but not stable COPD patients [15].