Thymic involution perturbs negative selection leading to autoreactive T cells that induce chronic inflammation.

ABSTRACT: Thymic involution and the subsequent amplified release of autoreactive T cells increase the susceptibility toward developing autoimmunity, but whether they induce chronic inflammation with advanced age remains unclear. The presence of chronic low-level proinflammatory factors in elderly individuals (termed inflammaging) is a significant risk factor for morbidity and mortality in virtually every chronic age-related disease. To determine how thymic involution leads to the persistent release and activation of autoreactive T cells capable of inducing inflammaging, we used a Foxn1 conditional knockout mouse model that induces accelerated thymic involution while maintaining a young periphery. We found that thymic involution leads to T cell activation shortly after thymic egress, which is accompa

SUBMITTER: Coder BD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4458423 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature