Memory T cell homeostasis and senescence during aging.

Arne N Akbar; Jean M Fletcher

doi:10.1016/j.coi.2005.07.019

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PubMed · 16098721

Memory T cell homeostasis and senescence during aging.

Arne N Akbar·Jean M Fletcher

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Abstract

Human memory T cell pools proliferate and differentiate at varying rates that are determined by the frequency of lifelong antigenic re-encounter with different specific antigens. An important question concerning immunity is whether certain specific pools of memory T cells are driven to exhaustion in elderly subjects, a pertinent point in view of increasing human life expectancy. An emerging consensus is that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a beta-herpesvirus with a prevalence of 60-90% worldwide, is an agent that induces specific T cells to extreme differentiation. The question that begs to be answered is whether this can explain why CMV seropositivity and the presence of highly differentiated CMV-specific T cells are included in a cluster of immune parameters that have been shown recently to predict the early mortality of elderly humans.

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Aging Animals Cell Differentiation Cytomegalovirus Cytomegalovirus Infections Humans Immunologic Memory Risk Factors T-Lymphocytes Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Review

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Arne N Akbar, Jean M Fletcher. 2005. Memory T cell homeostasis and senescence during aging.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2005.07.019

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