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Weng NP. Numbers and odds: TCR repertoire size and its age changes impacting on T cell functions. Semin Immunol 2023; 69:101810. [PMID: 37515916 PMCID: PMC10530048 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/31/2023]
Abstract
A vast array of αβ T cell receptors (TCRs) is generated during T cell development in the thymus through V(D)J recombination, which involves the rearrangement of multiple V, D, and J genes and the pairing of α and β chains. These diverse TCRs provide protection to the human body against a multitude of foreign pathogens and internal cancer cells. The entirety of TCRs present in an individual's T cells is referred to as the TCR repertoire. Despite an estimated 4 × 1011 T cells in the adult human body, the lower bound estimate for the TCR repertoire is 3.8 × 108. While the number of circulating T cells may slightly decrease with age, the changes in the diversity of the TCR repertoire is more apparent. Here, I review recent advancements in TCR repertoire studies, the methods used to measure it, how richness and diversity change as humans age, and some of the known consequences associated with these changes.
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MESH Headings
- Adult
- Humans
- T-Lymphocytes/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/genetics
- Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan-Ping Weng
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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2
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Sun X, Nguyen T, Achour A, Ko A, Cifello J, Ling C, Sharma J, Hiroi T, Zhang Y, Chia CW, Wood Iii W, Wu WW, Zukley L, Phue JN, Becker KG, Shen RF, Ferrucci L, Weng NP. Longitudinal analysis reveals age-related changes in the T cell receptor repertoire of human T cell subsets. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:158122. [PMID: 35708913 PMCID: PMC9433102 DOI: 10.1172/jci158122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A diverse T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire is essential for protection against a variety of pathogens, and TCR repertoire size is believed to decline with age. However, the precise size of human TCR repertoires, in both total and subsets of T cells, as well as their changes with age, are not fully characterized. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of the human blood TCRα and TCRβ repertoire of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets using a unique molecular identifier–based (UMI-based) RNA-seq method. Thorough analysis of 1.9 × 108 T cells yielded the lower estimate of TCR repertoire richness in an adult at 3.8 × 108. Alterations of the TCR repertoire with age were observed in all 4 subsets of T cells. The greatest reduction was observed in naive CD8+ T cells, while the greatest clonal expansion was in memory CD8+ T cells, and the highest increased retention of TCR sequences was in memory CD8+ T cells. Our results demonstrated that age-related TCR repertoire attrition is subset specific and more profound for CD8+ than CD4+ T cells, suggesting that aging has a more profound effect on cytotoxic as opposed to helper T cell functions. This may explain the increased susceptibility of older adults to novel infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoping Sun
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Thomas Nguyen
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Achouak Achour
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Annette Ko
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey Cifello
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Chen Ling
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Jay Sharma
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Toyoko Hiroi
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Yongqing Zhang
- Gene expression and Genomics Unit, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Chee W Chia
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - William Wood Iii
- Gene expression and Genomics Unit, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Wells W Wu
- Facility for Biotechnology Resources, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, United States of America
| | - Linda Zukley
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Je-Nie Phue
- Facility for Biotechnology Resources, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, United States of America
| | - Kevin G Becker
- Gene expression and Genomics Unit, Laboratory of Genetics and Genomics, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Rong-Fong Shen
- Facility for Biotechnology Resources, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, United States of America
| | - Luigi Ferrucci
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
| | - Nan-Ping Weng
- Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Immunology, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, United States of America
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3
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Ligotti ME, Aiello A, Accardi G, Aprile S, Bonura F, Bulati M, Gervasi F, Giammanco GM, Pojero F, Zareian N, Caruso C, Farzaneh F, Candore G. Analysis of T and NK cell subsets in the Sicilian population from young to supercentenarian: The role of age and gender. Clin Exp Immunol 2021; 205:198-212. [PMID: 33866541 PMCID: PMC8274165 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ageing dramatically affects number and function of both innate and adaptive arms of immune system, particularly T cell subsets, contributing to reduced vaccination efficacy, decreased resistance to infections and increased prevalence of cancer in older people. In the present paper, we analysed the age-related changes in the absolute number of lymphocytes in 214 Sicilian subjects, and in the percentages of T and natural killer (NK) cells in a subcohort of donors. We compared these results with the immunophenotype of the oldest living Italian supercentenarian (aged 111 years). The results were also sorted by gender. The correlation between number/percentage of cells and age in all individuals. and separately in males and females, was examined using a simple linear regression analysis. We did not record the increase in the rate of inversion of the CD4/CD8 ratio, frequently reported as being associated with ageing in literature. Our observation was the direct consequence of a flat average trend of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages in ageing donors, even when gender differences were included. Our results also suggest that CD4+ and CD8+ subsets are not affected equally by age comparing females with males, and we speculated that gender may affect the response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The supercentenarian showed a unique immunophenotypic signature regarding the relative percentages of her T cell subsets, with CD4+ and CD8+ T cell percentages and CD4+ naive T cell values in line with those recorded for the octogenarian subjects. This suggests that the supercentenarian has a naive 'younger' T cell profile comparable to that of a >80-year-old female.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mattia Emanuela Ligotti
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing’s College LondonThe Rayne InstituteLondonUK
| | - Anna Aiello
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Giulia Accardi
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Stefano Aprile
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
- Unit of Transfusion MedicineSan Giovanni di Dio HospitalAgrigentoItaly
| | - Floriana Bonura
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child CareInternal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Microbiology SectionUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Matteo Bulati
- Research DepartmentMediterranean Institute for Transplantation and Advanced Specialized Therapies (IRCCS ISMETT)PalermoItaly
| | - Francesco Gervasi
- Specialistic Oncology Laboratory UnitARNAS Hospitals CivicoDi Cristina e BenfratelliPalermoItaly
| | - Giovanni M. Giammanco
- Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child CareInternal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Microbiology SectionUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Fanny Pojero
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Nahid Zareian
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing’s College LondonThe Rayne InstituteLondonUK
| | - Calogero Caruso
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
| | - Farzin Farzaneh
- School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical SciencesKing’s College LondonThe Rayne InstituteLondonUK
| | - Giuseppina Candore
- Laboratory of Immunopathology and ImmunosenescenceDepartment of Biomedicine, Neuroscience and Advanced DiagnosticsUniversity of PalermoPalermoItaly
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4
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Moss P. 'From immunosenescence to immune modulation': a re-appraisal of the role of cytomegalovirus as major regulator of human immune function. Med Microbiol Immunol 2019; 208:271-280. [PMID: 31053999 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-019-00612-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
In the year 2000, cytomegalovirus was identified as a risk factor for mortality in a seminal study of octogenarian residents in Sweden. This finding triggered a wave of additional epidemiological investigations, some of which supported this association whilst others observed no such effect. In addition, this increased risk of death in CMV-seropositive people was correlated with observed changes within the T-cell repertoire such that accelerated 'immunosenescence' became a de facto explanation, without strong evidence to this effect. Recent years have seen a re-appraisal of these findings. Interestingly, many studies show that cytomegalovirus acts to improve immune function, most clearly in younger donors. In addition, the excess mortality in older people that is observed in CMV-seropositive cohorts appears to be related primarily to an excess of vascular disease rather than impairment of immune function. CMV is an important member of the natural 'virome' of Homo sapiens and has an important, and generally positive, modulatory influence on human immune function throughout most of life. However, within certain populations, this influence can become negative and age, co-morbidity and environment all act as determinants of this effect. As such, it is important that new interventions are developed that can mitigate the damaging influence of CMV on human health in populations at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Moss
- Haematology, University of Birmingham and Birmingham Health Partners, Birmingham, B15 2TA, UK.
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5
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Weinberger B, Haks MC, de Paus RA, Ottenhoff THM, Bauer T, Grubeck-Loebenstein B. Impaired Immune Response to Primary but Not to Booster Vaccination Against Hepatitis B in Older Adults. Front Immunol 2018; 9:1035. [PMID: 29868000 PMCID: PMC5962691 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.01035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many current vaccines are less immunogenic and less effective in elderly compared to younger adults due to age-related changes of the immune system. Most vaccines utilized in the elderly contain antigens, which the target population has had previous contact with due to previous vaccination or infection. Therefore, most studies investigating vaccine-induced immune responses in the elderly do not analyze responses to neo-antigens but rather booster responses. However, age-related differences in the immune response could differentially affect primary versus recall responses. We therefore investigated the impact of age on primary and recall antibody responses following hepatitis B vaccination in young and older adults. Focused gene expression profiling was performed before and 1 day after the vaccination in order to identify gene signatures predicting antibody responses. Young (20-40 years; n = 24) and elderly (>60 years; n = 17) healthy volunteers received either a primary series (no prior vaccination) or a single booster shot (documented primary vaccination more than 10 years ago). Antibody titers were determined at days 0, 7, and 28, as well as 6 months after the vaccination. After primary vaccination, antibody responses were lower and delayed in the elderly compared to young adults. Non-responders after the three-dose primary series were only observed in the elderly group. Maximum antibody concentrations after booster vaccination were similar in both age groups. Focused gene expression profiling identified 29 transcripts that correlated with age at baseline and clustered in a network centered around type I interferons and pro-inflammatory cytokines. In addition, smaller 8- and 6-gene signatures were identified at baseline that associated with vaccine responsiveness during primary and booster vaccination, respectively. When evaluating the kinetic changes in gene expression profiles before and after primary vaccination, a 33-gene signature, dominated by IFN-signaling, pro-inflammatory cytokines, inflammasome components, and immune cell subset markers, was uncovered that was associated with vaccine responsiveness. By contrast, no such transcripts were identified during booster vaccination. Our results document that primary differs from booster vaccination in old age, in regard to antibody responses as well as at the level of gene signatures. Clinical Trial Registration www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu, this trial was registered at the EU Clinical Trial Register (EU-CTR) with the EUDRACT-Nr. 2013-002589-38.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgit Weinberger
- Institute for Biomedical Aging Research, Universität Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mariëlle C Haks
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Roelof A de Paus
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Tom H M Ottenhoff
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Tanja Bauer
- Institute of Virology, Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Zentrum München, Munich, Germany
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Bajwa M, Vita S, Vescovini R, Larsen M, Sansoni P, Terrazzini N, Caserta S, Thomas D, Davies KA, Smith H, Kern F. CMV-Specific T-cell Responses at Older Ages: Broad Responses With a Large Central Memory Component May Be Key to Long-term Survival. J Infect Dis 2017; 215:1212-1220. [PMID: 28199648 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jix080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/07/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection sometimes causes large expansions of CMV-specific T cells, particularly in older people. This is believed to undermine immunity to other pathogens and to accelerate immunosenescence. While multiple different CMV proteins are recognized, most publications on age-related T-cell expansions have focused on dominant target proteins UL83 or UL123, and the T-cell activation marker interferon-γ (IFN-γ). We were concerned that this narrow approach might have skewed our understanding of CMV-specific immunity at older ages. We have, therefore, widened the scope of analysis to include in vitro-induced T-cell responses to 19 frequently recognized CMV proteins in "young" and "older" healthy volunteers and a group of "oldest old" long-term survivors (>85 years of age). Polychromatic flow cytometry was used to analyze T-cell activation markers (CD107, CD154, interleukin-2 [IL-2], tumor necrosis factor [TNF], and IFN-γ) and memory phenotypes (CD27, CD45RA). The older group had, on average, larger T-cell responses than the young, but, interestingly, response size differences were relatively smaller when all activation markers were considered rather than IFN-γ or TNF alone. The oldest old group recognized more proteins on average than the other groups, and had even bigger T-cell responses than the older group with a significantly larger central memory CD4 T-cell component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha Bajwa
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
| | - Serena Vita
- Institute Pasteur, Cenci-Bolognetti Foundation, Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, University Sapienza of Rome, and
| | | | - Martin Larsen
- Inserm UMR-S1135, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), and.,AP-HP, Groupement Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Département d'Immunologie, Paris, France ; and
| | - Paolo Sansoni
- Dipartimento di Clinica Sperimentale, Università di Parma, Italy
| | - Nadia Terrazzini
- School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Brighton, United Kingdom
| | | | - David Thomas
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
| | | | - Helen Smith
- Department of Primary Care and Public Health and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Florian Kern
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine
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Jackson SE, Sedikides GX, Okecha G, Poole EL, Sinclair JH, Wills MR. Latent Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection Does Not Detrimentally Alter T Cell Responses in the Healthy Old, But Increased Latent CMV Carriage Is Related to Expanded CMV-Specific T Cells. Front Immunol 2017; 8:733. [PMID: 28694811 PMCID: PMC5483450 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) primary infection and periodic reactivation of latent virus is generally well controlled by T-cell responses in healthy people. In older donors, overt HCMV disease is not generally seen despite the association of HCMV infection with increased risk of mortality. However, increases in HCMV DNA in urine of older people suggest that, although the immune response retains functionality, immunomodulation of the immune response due to lifelong viral carriage may alter its efficacy. Viral transcription is limited during latency to a handful of viral genes and there is both an IFNγ and cellular IL-10 CD4+ T-cell response to HCMV latency-associated proteins. Production of cIL-10 by HCMV-specific CD4+ T-cells is a candidate for aging-related immunomodulation. To address whether long-term carriage of HCMV changes the balance of cIL-10 and IFNγ-secreting T-cell populations, we recruited a large donor cohort aged 23–78 years and correlated T-cell responses to 11 HCMV proteins with age, HCMV IgG levels, latent HCMV load in CD14+ monocytes, and T-cell numbers in the blood. IFNγ responses by CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells to all HCMV proteins were detected, with no age-related increase in this cohort. IL-10-secreting CD4+ T cell responses were predominant to latency-associated proteins but did not increase with age. Quantification of HCMV genomes in CD14+ monocytes, a known site of latent HCMV carriage, did not reveal any increase in viral genome copies in older donors. Importantly, there was a significant positive correlation between the latent viral genome copy number and the breadth and magnitude of the IFNγ T-cell response to HCMV proteins. This study suggests in healthy aged donors that HCMV-specific changes in the T cell compartment were not affected by age and were effective, as viremia was a very rare event. Evidence from studies of unwell aged has shown HCMV to be an important comorbidity factor, surveillance of latent HCMV load and low-level viremia in blood and body fluids, alongside typical immunological measures and assessment of the antiviral capacity of the HCMV-specific immune cell function would be informative in determining if antiviral treatment of HCMV replication in the old maybe beneficial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Jackson
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - George X Sedikides
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Georgina Okecha
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Emma L Poole
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - John H Sinclair
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mark R Wills
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-Specific CD4 + T Cells Are Polyfunctional and Can Respond to HCMV-Infected Dendritic Cells In Vitro. J Virol 2017; 91:JVI.02128-16. [PMID: 28053099 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02128-16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2016] [Accepted: 12/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection and periodic reactivation are generally well controlled by the HCMV-specific T cell response in healthy people. While the CD8+ T cell response to HCMV has been extensively studied, the HCMV-specific CD4+ T cell effector response is not as well understood, especially in the context of direct interactions with HCMV-infected cells. We screened the gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) responses to 6 HCMV peptide pools (pp65, pp71, IE1, IE2, gB, and US3, selected because they were the peptides most frequently responded to in our previous studies) in 84 donors aged 23 to 74 years. The HCMV-specific CD4+ T cell response to pp65, IE1, IE2, and gB was predominantly Th1 biased, with neither the loss nor the accumulation of these responses occurring with increasing age. A larger proportion of donors produced an IL-10 response to pp71 and US3, but the IFN-γ response was still dominant. CD4+ T cells specific to the HCMV proteins studied were predominantly effector memory cells and produced both cytotoxic (CD107a expression) and cytokine (macrophage inflammatory protein 1β secretion) effector responses. Importantly, when we measured the CD4+ T cell response to cytomegalovirus (CMV)-infected dendritic cells in vitro, we observed that the CD4+ T cells produced a range of cytotoxic and secretory effector functions, despite the presence of CMV-encoded immune evasion molecules. CD4+ T cell responses to HCMV-infected dendritic cells were sufficient to control the dissemination of virus in an in vitro assay. Together, the results show that HCMV-specific CD4+ T cell responses, even those from elderly individuals, are highly functional and are directly antiviral.IMPORTANCE Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is carried for a lifetime and in healthy people is kept under control by the immune system. HCMV has evolved many mechanisms to evade the immune response, possibly explaining why the virus is never eliminated during the host's lifetime. The dysfunction of immune cells associated with the long-term carriage of HCMV has been linked with poor responses to new pathogens and vaccines when people are older. In this study, we investigated the response of a subset of immune cells (CD4+ T cells) to HCMV proteins in healthy donors of all ages, and we demonstrate that the functionality of CD4+ T cells is maintained. We also show that CD4+ T cells produce effector functions in response to HCMV-infected cells and can prevent virus spread. Our work demonstrates that these HCMV-specific immune cells retain many important functions and help to prevent deleterious HCMV disease in healthy older people.
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Abstract
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is arguably one of the most successful pathogens of humans, persistently infecting over ninety percent of the world's population. Despite this high frequency of carriage, the virus causes apparently few adverse effects in the vast majority of infected individuals. Nevertheless, the potent growth transforming ability of EBV means the virus has the potential to cause malignancies in infected individuals. Indeed, EBV is thought to cause 1% of human malignancies, equating to 200,000 malignancies each year. A clear factor as to why virus-induced disease is relatively infrequent in healthy infected individuals is the presence of a potent immune response to EBV, in particular, that mediated by T cells. Thus, patient groups with immunodeficiencies or whose cellular immune response is suppressed have much higher frequencies of EBV-induced disease and, in at least some cases, these diseases can be controlled by restoration of the T-cell compartment. In this chapter, we will primarily review the role the αβ subset of T cells in the control of EBV in healthy and diseased individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Hislop
- School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
| | - Graham S Taylor
- School of Cancer Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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10
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Stervbo U, Bozzetti C, Baron U, Jürchott K, Meier S, Mälzer JN, Nienen M, Olek S, Rachwalik D, Schulz AR, Neumann A, Babel N, Grützkau A, Thiel A. Effects of aging on human leukocytes (part II): immunophenotyping of adaptive immune B and T cell subsets. AGE (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2015; 37:93. [PMID: 26324156 PMCID: PMC5005833 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-015-9829-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 08/07/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Immunosenescence results from a continuous deterioration of immune responses resulting in a decreased response to vaccines. A well-described age-related alteration of the immune system is the decrease of de novo generation of T and B cells. In addition, the accumulation of memory cells and loss of diversity in antigen specificities resulting from a lifetime of exposure to pathogens has also been described. However, the effect of aging on subsets of γδTCR(+) T cells and Tregs has been poorly described, and the efficacy of the recall response to common persistent infections in the elderly remains obscure. Here, we investigated alterations in the subpopulations of the B and T cells among 24 healthy young (aged 19-30) and 26 healthy elderly (aged 53-67) individuals. The analysis was performed by flow cytometry using freshly collected peripheral blood. γδTCR(+) T cells were overall decreased, while CD4(+)CD8(-) cells among γδTCR(+) T cells were increased in the elderly. Helios(+)Foxp3(+) and Helios(-)Foxp3(+) Treg cells were unaffected with age. Recent thymic emigrants, based on CD31 expression, were decreased among the Helios(+)Foxp3(+), but not the Helios(-)Foxp3(+) cell populations. We observed a decrease in Adenovirus-specific CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and an increase in CMV-specific CD4(+) T cells in the elderly. Similarly, INFγ(+)TNFα(+) double-positive cells were decreased among activated T cells after Adenovirus stimulation but increased after CMV stimulation. The data presented here indicate that γδTCR(+) T cells might stabilize B cells, and functional senescence might dominate at higher ages than those studied here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrik Stervbo
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum – a Leibniz Institute, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
- Marienhospital Herne, University Hospital of the Ruhr-University Bochum, Hölkeskampring 40, 44625 Herne, Germany
| | - Cecilia Bozzetti
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Udo Baron
- Epiontis GmbH, Rudower Chaussee 29, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Karsten Jürchott
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah Meier
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julia Nora Mälzer
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Mikalai Nienen
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Marienhospital Herne, University Hospital of the Ruhr-University Bochum, Hölkeskampring 40, 44625 Herne, Germany
| | - Sven Olek
- Epiontis GmbH, Rudower Chaussee 29, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Dominika Rachwalik
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Axel Ronald Schulz
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Avidan Neumann
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nina Babel
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
- Marienhospital Herne, University Hospital of the Ruhr-University Bochum, Hölkeskampring 40, 44625 Herne, Germany
| | - Andreas Grützkau
- Deutsches Rheuma-Forschungszentrum – a Leibniz Institute, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Andreas Thiel
- Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies, Charité – University Medicine, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany
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11
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Haloschan M, Bettesch R, Görzer I, Weseslindtner L, Kundi M, Puchhammer-Stöckl E. TTV DNA plasma load and its association with age, gender, and HCMV IgG serostatus in healthy adults. AGE (DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS) 2014; 36:9716. [PMID: 25284090 PMCID: PMC4185385 DOI: 10.1007/s11357-014-9716-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Understanding immunosenescence and changes in antimicrobial immune response with age is of high importance. The association of immunosenescence with gender and persistent infection with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a matter of intensive research. We determined whether replication of another persistent and highly prevalent virus, Torque teno virus (TTV), is related to age, gender, and HCMV IgG serostatus of the host. TTV DNA load in plasma was assessed by real-time PCR in 313 healthy persons: 20-30 years old (young, n = 104), 50-60 years old (middle-aged, n = 101), or >80 years old (elderly, n = 108). TTV DNA loads were further associated with age-groups, gender, and HCMV IgG serostatus. TTV load was significantly higher in the elderly compared to the young group (p < 0.001; Tukey's honest significant difference (HSD)), and the higher TTV DNA levels over age were found to be gender-specific (p = 0.002; ANOVA), with young women showing the lowest TTV load compared to young men (p = 0.009, t test) and compared to the other female age-groups (middle-aged p = 0.005; elderly p < 0.001; Tukey's HSD). TTV load of HCMV IgG-seropositive persons was significantly higher than that of the HCMV IgG seronegative in the young (p = 0.005; t test) and middle-aged (p = 0.016; t test) groups. These results indicate that the host's immune control of TTV replication decreases with age and is gender-specific. Persistent HCMV infection is significantly related to higher TTV DNA loads, especially at a younger age. Therefore, the influence of gender and HCMV on immunosenescence earlier in life should be further explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mats Haloschan
- />Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Bettesch
- />Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria
| | - Irene Görzer
- />Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria
| | - Lukas Weseslindtner
- />Department of Virology, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Kundi
- />Institute for Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, A-1095 Vienna, Austria
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12
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Westman G, Lidehall AK, Magnusson P, Ingelsson M, Kilander L, Lannfelt L, Korsgren O, Eriksson BM. Decreased proportion of cytomegalovirus specific CD8 T-cells but no signs of general immunosenescence in Alzheimer's disease. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77921. [PMID: 24155977 PMCID: PMC3796487 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/14/2013] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been suggested as a contributing force behind the impaired immune responsiveness in the elderly, with decreased numbers of naïve T-cells and an increased proportion of effector T-cells. Immunological impairment is also implicated as a part of the pathogenesis in Alzheimer's disease (AD). The aim of this study was to investigate whether AD patients present with a different CMV-specific CD8 immune profile compared to non-demented controls. Blood samples from 50 AD patients and 50 age-matched controls were analysed for HLA-type, CMV serostatus and systemic inflammatory biomarkers. Using multi-colour flow cytometry, lymphocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analysed for CMV-specific CD8 immunity with MHC-I tetramers A01, A02, A24, B07, B08 and B35 and further classified using CD27, CD28, CD45RA and CCR7 antibodies. Among CMV seropositive subjects, patients with AD had significantly lower proportions of CMV-specific CD8 T-cells compared to controls, 1.16 % vs. 4.13 % (p=0.0057). Regardless of dementia status, CMV seropositive subjects presented with a lower proportion of naïve CD8 cells and a higher proportion of effector CD8 cells compared to seronegative subjects. Interestingly, patients with AD showed a decreased proportion of CMV-specific CD8 cells but no difference in general CD8 differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Westman
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Anna-Karin Lidehall
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Peetra Magnusson
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martin Ingelsson
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lena Kilander
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lars Lannfelt
- Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Olle Korsgren
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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13
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Cytomegalovirus infection impairs immune responses and accentuates T-cell pool changes observed in mice with aging. PLoS Pathog 2012; 8:e1002849. [PMID: 22916012 PMCID: PMC3420928 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1002849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2012] [Accepted: 06/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Prominent immune alterations associated with aging include the loss of naïve T-cell numbers, diversity and function. While genetic contributors and mechanistic details in the aging process have been addressed in multiple studies, the role of environmental agents in immune aging remains incompletely understood. From the standpoint of environmental infectious agents, latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has been associated with an immune risk profile in the elderly humans, yet the cause-effect relationship of this association remains unclear. Here we present direct experimental evidence that mouse CMV (MCMV) infection results in select T-cell subset changes associated with immune aging, namely the increase of relative and absolute counts of CD8 T-cells in the blood, with a decreased representation of the naïve and the increased representation of the effector memory blood CD8 T-cells. Moreover, MCMV infection resulted in significantly weaker CD8 responses to superinfection with Influenza, Human Herpes Virus I or West-Nile-Virus, even 16 months following MCMV infection. These irreversible losses in T-cell function could not be observed in uninfected or in vaccinia virus-infected controls and were not due to the immune-evasive action of MCMV genes. Rather, the CD8 activation in draining lymph nodes upon viral challenge was decreased in MCMV infected mice and the immune response correlated directly to the frequency of the naïve and inversely to that of the effector cells in the blood CD8 pool. Therefore, latent MCMV infection resulted in pronounced changes of the T-cell compartment consistent with impaired naïve T-cell function.
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14
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Derhovanessian E, Maier AB, Hähnel K, Beck R, de Craen AJM, Slagboom EP, Westendorp RGJ, Pawelec G. Infection with cytomegalovirus but not herpes simplex virus induces the accumulation of late-differentiated CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in humans. J Gen Virol 2011; 92:2746-2756. [PMID: 21813708 DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.036004-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) establishes persistent, usually asymptomatic, infection in healthy people. Because CMV infection is associated with the presence of lower proportions of peripheral naïve CD8+ T-cells and a higher fraction of late-differentiated CD8+ cells, commonly taken as biomarkers of age-associated compromised adaptive immunity ('immunosenescence'), we asked whether chronic exposure to any persistent virus mediates these effects. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is also a widespread herpesvirus that establishes lifelong persistence, but, unlike CMV, its impact on the distribution of T-cell subsets has not been established. Here, we analysed T-cell subsets in 93 healthy people aged 42-81 years infected or not infected with CMV and/or HSV. Individuals harbouring CMV were confirmed to possess lower frequencies of naïve CD8+ T-cells (defined as CD45RA+CCR7+CD27+CD28+) and greater proportions of late-differentiated effector memory (CD45RA-CCR7-CD27-CD28-) and so-called TEMRA (CD45RA+CCR7-CD27-CD28-) CD4 and CD8 subsets, independent of HSV seropositivity. In CMV-seronegative donors, HSV did not affect T-cell subset distribution significantly. We conclude that these hallmarks of age-associated alterations to immune signatures are indeed observed in the general population in people infected with CMV and not those infected with a different persistent herpesvirus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyna Derhovanessian
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Centre for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andrea B Maier
- Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Aging, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Karin Hähnel
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Centre for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Robert Beck
- Institute of Medical Virology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Anton J M de Craen
- Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Aging, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Eline P Slagboom
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Aging, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rudi G J Westendorp
- Netherlands Consortium for Healthy Aging, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.,Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Graham Pawelec
- Department of Internal Medicine II, Centre for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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15
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Cicin-Sain L, Sylwester AW, Hagen SI, Siess DC, Currier N, Legasse AW, Fischer MB, Koudelka CW, Axthelm MK, Nikolich-Zugich J, Picker LJ. Cytomegalovirus-specific T cell immunity is maintained in immunosenescent rhesus macaques. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2011; 187:1722-32. [PMID: 21765018 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1100560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Although CMV infection is largely benign in immunocompetent people, the specific T cell responses associated with control of this persistent virus are enormous and must be maintained for life. These responses may increase with advanced age and have been linked to an "immune risk profile" that is associated with poor immune responsiveness and increased mortality in aged individuals. Based on this association, it has been suggested that CMV-specific T cell responses might become dysfunctional with age and thereby contribute to the development of immune senescence by homeostatic disruption of other T cell populations, diminished control of CMV replication, and/or excess chronic inflammation. In this study, we use the rhesus macaque (RM) model of aging to ask whether the quantity and quality of CMV-specific T cell responses differ between healthy adult RMs and elderly RMs that manifest hallmarks of immune aging. We demonstrate that the size of the CD4(+) and CD8(+) CMV-specific T cell pools are similar in adult versus old RMs and show essentially identical phenotypic and functional characteristics, including a dominant effector memory phenotype, identical patterns of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 production and cytotoxic degranulation, and comparable functional avidities of optimal epitope-specific CD8(+) T cells. Most importantly, the response to and protection against an in vivo CMV challenge were identical in adult and aged RMs. These data indicate that CMV-specific T cell immunity is well maintained in old RMs and argue against a primary role for progressive dysfunction of these responses in the development of immune senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luka Cicin-Sain
- Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA
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16
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Abstract
Overcrowding the immune space with excess clones of viral-specific T cells causes the naïve T-cell repertoire to shrink, which increases infection susceptibility to novel pathogens. Physical exercise preferentially mobilizes senescent T cells from the peripheral tissues into the blood, which might facilitate their subsequent apoptosis and create "vacant space" for newly functional T cells to occupy and expand the naïve T-cell repertoire.
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17
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Karanikas V, Zamanakou M, Soukou F, Kerenidi T, Tsougos I, Theodorou K, Georgoulias P, Gourgoulianis KI, Germenis AE. Cytolytic T-cell response against Epstein-Barr virus in lung cancer patients and healthy subjects. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2010; 29:64. [PMID: 20525347 PMCID: PMC2907867 DOI: 10.1186/1756-9966-29-64] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2010] [Accepted: 06/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Background This study aimed to examine whether EBV seropositive patients with lung cancer have an altered virus-specific CTL response, as compared to age-matched healthy controls and whether any variation in this response could be attributed to senescence. Methods Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from lung cancer patients, age-matched and younger healthy individuals were used to measure EBV-specific CTLs after in vitro amplification with the GLCTLVAML and RYSIFFDYM peptides followed by HLA-multimer staining. Results Lung cancer patients and aged-matched controls had significantly lesser EBV-specific CTL than younger healthy individuals. Multimer positive populations from either group did not differ with respect to the percentage of multimer positive CTLs and the intensity of multimer binding. Conclusions This study provides evidence that patients with lung cancer exhibit an EBV-specific CTL response equivalent to that of age-matched healthy counterparts. These data warrant the examination of whether young individuals have a more robust anti-tumor response, as is the case with the anti-EBV response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaios Karanikas
- Cancer Immunology Unit, Department of Immunology & Histocompatibility, School of Medicine, University of Thessaly, University Hospital of Larissa, GR-411 10 Larissa, Greece.
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18
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Chen J, Li J, Lim FC, Wu Q, Douek DC, Scott DK, Ravussin E, Hsu HC, Jazwinski SM, Mountz JD. Maintenance of naïve CD8 T cells in nonagenarians by leptin, IGFBP3 and T3. Mech Ageing Dev 2009; 131:29-37. [PMID: 19941883 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2009.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2009] [Revised: 11/03/2009] [Accepted: 11/19/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Research into the age-associated decline in the immune system has focused on the factors that contribute to the accumulation of senescent CD8 T cells. Less attention has been paid to the non-immune factors that may maintain the pool of naïve CD8 T cells. Here, we analyzed the status of the naïve CD8 T-cell population in healthy nonagenarians (>or=90-year-old), old (60-79-year-old), and young (20-34-year-old) subjects. Naïve CD8 T cells were defined as CD28(+)CD95(-) as this phenotype showed a strong co-expression of the CD45RA(+), CD45RO(-), and CD127(+) phenotypes. Although there was an age-associated decline in the percentage of CD28(+)CD95(-) CD8 T cells, the healthy nonagenarians maintained a pool of naïve CD28(+)CD95(-) cells that contained T-cell receptor excision circles (TREC)(+) cells. The percentages of naïve CD28(+)CD95(-) CD8 T cells in the nonagenarians correlated with the sera levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) and leptin. Higher levels of triiodothyronine (T3) negatively correlated with the accumulation of TREC(-)CD28(-)CD95(+) CD8 T cells from nonagenarians. These results suggest a model in which IGFBP3, leptin and T3 act as non-immune factors to maintain a larger pool of naïve CD8 T cells in healthy nonagenarians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jian Chen
- Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
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19
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Pita-Lopez ML, Gayoso I, DelaRosa O, Casado JG, Alonso C, Muñoz-Gomariz E, Tarazona R, Solana R. Effect of ageing on CMV-specific CD8 T cells from CMV seropositive healthy donors. IMMUNITY & AGEING 2009; 6:11. [PMID: 19715573 PMCID: PMC2741428 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4933-6-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2009] [Accepted: 08/28/2009] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Ageing is associated with changes in the immune system with substantial alterations in T-lymphocyte subsets. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is one of the factors that affect functionality of T cells and the differentiation and large expansions of CMV pp65-specific T cells have been associated with impaired responses to other immune challenges. Moreover, the presence of clonal expansions of CMV-specific T cells may shrink the available repertoire for other antigens and contribute to the increased incidence of infectious diseases in the elderly. In this study, we analyse the effect of ageing on the phenotype and frequency of CMV pp65-specific CD8 T cell subsets according to the expression of CCR7, CD45RA, CD27, CD28, CD244 and CD85j. RESULTS Peripheral blood from HLA-A2 healthy young, middle-aged and elderly donors was analysed by multiparametric flow cytometry using the HLA-A*0201/CMV pp65(495-504) (NLVPMVATV) pentamer and mAbs specific for the molecules analysed. The frequency of CMV pp65-specific CD8 T cells was increased in the elderly compared with young and middle-aged donors. The proportion of naïve cells was reduced in the elderly, whereas an age-associated increase of the CCR7(null) effector-memory subset, in particular those with a CD45RA(dim) phenotype, was observed, both in the pentamer-positive and pentamer-negative CD8 T cells. The results also showed that most CMV pp65-specific CD8 T cells in elderly individuals were CD27/CD28 negative and expressed CD85j and CD244. CONCLUSION The finding that the phenotype of CMV pp65-specific CD8 T cells in elderly individuals is similar to the predominant phenotype of CD8 T cells as a whole, suggests that CMV persistent infections contributes to the age-related changes observed in the CD8 T cell compartment, and that chronic stimulation by other persistent antigens also play a role in T cell immunosenescence. Differences in subset distribution in elderly individuals showing a decrease in naive and an increase in effector-memory CD8 T cells may be relevant in the age-associated defective immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Luisa Pita-Lopez
- University of Cordoba, Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Cordoba, Spain.
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20
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Colonna-Romano G, Bulati M, Aquino A, Pellicanò M, Vitello S, Lio D, Candore G, Caruso C. A double-negative (IgD-CD27-) B cell population is increased in the peripheral blood of elderly people. Mech Ageing Dev 2009; 130:681-90. [PMID: 19698733 DOI: 10.1016/j.mad.2009.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2008] [Revised: 07/20/2009] [Accepted: 08/07/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The T cell branch of the immune system has been extensively studied in the elderly and it is known that the elderly have impaired immune function, mainly due to the chronic antigenic load that ultimately causes shrinkage of the T cell repertoire and filling of the immunologic space with memory T cells. In the present paper, we describe the IgD(-)CD27(-) double-negative B cell population which (as we have recently described) is higher in the elderly. Most of these cells were IgG(+). Evaluation of the telomere length and expression of the ABCB1 transporter and anti-apoptotic molecule, Bcl2, shows that they have the markers of memory B cells. We also show that these cells do not act as antigen presenting cells, as indicated by the low levels of CD80 and DR, nor do they express significant levels of the CD40 molecule necessary to interact with T lymphocytes through the ligand, CD154. Hence, we hypothesize that these expanded cells are late memory or exhausted cells that have down-modulated the expression of CD27 and filled the immunologic space in the elderly. These cells might be the age-related manifestation of time-enduring stimulation or dysregulation of the immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Colonna-Romano
- Gruppo di Studio sull'Immunosenescenza, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Metodologie Biomediche, Università di Palermo, 90134 Palermo, Italy.
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21
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Schiffrin EJ, Morley JE, Donnet-Hughes A, Guigoz Y. The inflammatory status of the elderly: the intestinal contribution. Mutat Res 2009; 690:50-6. [PMID: 19666034 DOI: 10.1016/j.mrfmmm.2009.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2009] [Revised: 07/22/2009] [Accepted: 07/31/2009] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
A common finding in the elderly population is a chronic subclinical inflammatory status that coexists with immune dysfunction. These interconnected processes are of sufficient magnitude to impact health and survival time. In this review we discuss the different signals that may stimulate the inflammatory process in the aging population as well as the molecular and cellular components that can participate in the initiation, the modulation or termination of the said process. A special interest has been devoted to the intestine as a source of signals that can amplify local and systemic inflammation. Sentinel cells in the splanchnic area are normally exposed to more than one stimulus at a given time. In the intestine of the elderly, endogenous molecules produced by the cellular aging process and stress as well as exogenous evolutionarily conserved molecules from bacteria, are integrated into a network of receptors and molecular signalling pathways that result in chronic inflammatory activation. It is thus possible that nutritional interventions which modify the intestinal ecology can diminish the pro-inflammatory effects of the microbiota and thereby reinforce the mucosal barrier or modulate the cellular activation pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo J Schiffrin
- Nestlé Nutrition, HealthCare Nutrition, Route des Avouillons 30, CH-1196 Gland, Nestec Ltd., Vevey, Switzerland
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22
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Holland AM, van den Brink MRM. Rejuvenation of the aging T cell compartment. Curr Opin Immunol 2009; 21:454-9. [PMID: 19608394 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2009.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2009] [Revised: 06/05/2009] [Accepted: 06/09/2009] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The elderly face significant risk for susceptibility to infection and cancer because of declining immune function. Various agents used in the setting of bone marrow transplantation and aging studies represent promising approaches to combating T cell defects in the aging population. Preclinical and clinical studies on the T cell reconstitution effects of sex steroid ablation, keratinocyte growth factor, the growth hormone pathway, and the cytokines interleukin-7, interleukin-12, and interleukin-15 indicate that these strategies may be used to alleviate the effects of T cell deficiencies in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Holland
- Department of Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY 10021, USA
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23
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Abstract
Ageing is accompanied by a decline in the function of the immune system, which increases susceptibility to infections and can decrease the quality of life. The ability to rejuvenate the ageing immune system would therefore be beneficial for elderly individuals and would decrease health-care costs for society. But is the immune system ever too old to become young again? We review here the promise of various approaches to rejuvenate the function of the immune system in the rapidly growing ageing population.
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Derhovanessian E, Solana R, Larbi A, Pawelec G. Immunity, ageing and cancer. IMMUNITY & AGEING 2008; 5:11. [PMID: 18816370 PMCID: PMC2564902 DOI: 10.1186/1742-4933-5-11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2008] [Accepted: 09/24/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Compromised immunity contributes to the decreased ability of the elderly to control infectious disease and to their generally poor response to vaccination. It is controversial as to how far this phenomenon contributes to the well-known age-associated increase in the occurrence of many cancers in the elderly. However, should the immune system be important in controlling cancer, for which there is a great deal of evidence, it is logical to propose that dysfunctional immunity in the elderly would contribute to compromised immunosurveillance and increased cancer occurrence. The chronological age at which immunosenescence becomes clinically important is known to be influenced by many factors, including the pathogen load to which individuals are exposed throughout life. It is proposed here that the cancer antigen load may have a similar effect on "immune exhaustion" and that pathogen load and tumor load may act additively to accelerate immunosenescence. Understanding how and why immune responsiveness changes in humans as they age is essential for developing strategies to prevent or restore dysregulated immunity and assure healthy longevity, clearly possible only if cancer is avoided. Here, we provide an overview of the impact of age on human immune competence, emphasizing T-cell-dependent adaptive immunity, which is the most sensitive to ageing. This knowledge will pave the way for rational interventions to maintain or restore appropriate immune function not only in the elderly but also in the cancer patient.
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Fulop T, Franceschi C, Hirokawa K, Pawelec G. Age-associated T-cell Clonal Expansions (TCE) in vivo—Implications for Pathogen Resistance. HANDBOOK ON IMMUNOSENESCENCE 2008. [PMCID: PMC7114977 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4020-9063-9_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Age-related T-cell clonal expansions (TCE) are an incompletely understood disturbance in T-cell homeostasis found frequently in old humans and experimental animals. These accumulations of CD8 T-cells have the potential to distort T-cell population balance and reduce T-cell repertoire diversity above and beyond the changes seen in the aging of T-cell pool in the absence of TCE. This chapter discusses our current knowledge of the role of these expansions in health and disease, with a special focus on their influence upon immune defense against infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamas Fulop
- Research Center on Aging, Department of Medicine, Immunology Graduate Programme, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 1036 Rue Belvedere, J1H 4C4 Sherbrooke, Quebec Canada
| | - Claudio Franceschi
- Department of Experimental Pathalogy, CIG Interdepartmental Center “L. Galvani” University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Katsuiku Hirokawa
- Institute for Health and Life Sciences, 4-6-22 Kohinato, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-0006 Japan
| | - Graham Pawelec
- ZMF - Zentrum Med. Forschung Abt. Transplant./ Immunologie, University of Tübingen, Waldhörnlestr. 22, 72072 Tübingen, Germany
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Candore G, Balistreri CR, Colonna-Romano G, Grimaldi MP, Lio D, Listi' F, Scola L, Vasto S, Caruso C. Immunosenescence and anti-immunosenescence therapies: the case of probiotics. Rejuvenation Res 2008; 11:425-32. [PMID: 18442326 DOI: 10.1089/rej.2008.0662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Aging is a complex process that negatively impacts the development of the immune system and its ability to function. Progressive changes in the T and B cell systems over the life span have a major impact on the capacity to respond to immune challenge. These cumulative age-associated changes in immune competence are termed immunosenescence. This process is mostly characterized by: (1) shrinkage of the T cell repertoire and accumulation of oligoclonal expansions of memory/effector cells directed toward ubiquitary infectious agents; (2) involution of the thymus and the exhaustion of naive T cells; and (3) chronic inflammatory status. Here we discuss possible strategies to counteract these main aspects of immunosenescence, in particular the role of the normalization of intestinal microflora by probiotics. A better understanding of immunosenescence and the development of new strategies to counteract it are essential for improving the quality of life of the elderly population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppina Candore
- Gruppo di Studio sull'Immunosenescenza, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Metodologie Biomediche, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
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