The presence of CLL-associated stereotypic B cell receptors in the normal BCR repertoire from healthy individuals increases with age.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Aging is known to induce immunosenescence, resulting in alterations in both the innate and adaptive immune system. Here we evaluated the effects of aging on B cell subsets in peripheral blood of 155 immunologically healthy individuals in four age categories (range 20-95y) via multi-parameter flow cytometry. Furthermore, we studied the naive and antigen-experienced B cell receptor (BCR) repertoire of different age groups and compared it to the clonal BCR repertoire of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a disease typically presenting in elderly individuals.

Results

Total numbers and relative frequencies of B cells were found to decline upon aging, with reductions in transitional B cells, memory cell types, and plasma blasts in the 70 + y group. The BCR repertoire o

SUBMITTER: Muggen AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6714092 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature