Project description:The transcriptomic changes of young and aged T cells are still unknown. Our previous study successfully tracked aged T cells generated from one wave of developing thymocytes of young age by a lineage-specific and inducible Cre-controlled reporter (TCRδCreERR26ZsGreen mouse strain). We used this transgenic mice and RNA-Seq to study the immunosenescence of naïve and memory T cell populations. A large number of genes involved in cellular and molecular functions, protein activity, cell cycle, cell adhesion, and immune functions were identified as having altered expression during aging. Our work revealed aged CD8 memory T cells with increased T cell activation and immunity genes, yet high expression of immunosuppressive checkpoints and resistance to cell death, implying aberrant T cell immunity in old mice. These feature genes identified in the current study serve as new therapeutic targets for correcting age-related defects.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells with hTERT/E6/E7 transfected MSCs. hTERT may change gene expression in MSCs. Goal was to determine the gene expressions of immortalized MSCs.
Project description:Advancing age significantly heightens the incidence and severity of infection, with individuals aged 65 and above, accounting for 65% of sepsis cases. The decline in immune response with age, termed “immunosenescence”, heightens vulnerability to infection and sepsis. This prompts exploration of strategies to enhance infection resistance by modulating the aging immune system. Innate immune training, referred to as “trained immunity” or “innate immune memory”, emerges as a potential strategy. We investigated the impact of -glucan induced innate immune training on aged mice (18–20 months old), compared with a group of young mice (10–12 weeks old). We found that -glucan augmented host’s resistance to infection. This enhancement was characterized by preservation of body temperature during infection, improved leukocyte recruitment, augmented bacterial clearance, and decreased cytokine production both in blood and infection sites. Furthermore, trained macrophages displayed heightened metabolic capacity and improved antimicrobial functions such as enhanced phagocytosis and respiratory burst. RNA-seq analysis underscored a distinctive gene expression pattern induced by trained immunity in macrophages, consistently observed in both young and aged groups. Our results suggest that immune training can be effectively induced in aging individuals, providing valuable insights into potential strategies for enhancing infection resistance in the elderly.
