Defective CD8 T cell responses in aged mice are due to quantitative and qualitative changes in virus-specific precursors.

ABSTRACT: Aging is associated with suboptimal CD8 T cell responses to viral infections. It is not clear whether these poor responses are due to environmental influences or quantitative and qualitative changes in the pool of responding CD8 T cells. Our studies demonstrated several deleterious age-related changes in the pool of Ag-specific CD8 T cells that respond to infection. The majority of CD8 T cells from uninfected aged mice was CD44(Hi) and had increased expression of inhibitory receptors including PD1, LAG3, 2B4, and CD160. These aged CD44(Hi) CD8 T cells were transcriptionally similar to exhausted CD8 T cells found during chronic infections. In addition, the number of virus-specific precursors in aged mice prior to infection was decreased up to 10-fold, and many of these Ag-specific precursor

SUBMITTER: Decman V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3320034 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature