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Related Experiment Videos

Immunoglobulin VH gene expression in human aging.

X Wang1, B D Stollar

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Tufts University School of Medicine and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA.

Clinical Immunology (Orlando, Fla.)
|October 21, 1999
PubMed
Summary

Aging humans show altered B cell repertoires, with increased use of the V(H)4 gene family. This shift in immunoglobulin heavy chain (Ig VH) expression may indicate changes in B cell development during aging.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Gerontology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Immune responses undergo significant alterations with advancing age.
  • The impact of aging on the expressed B cell repertoire, specifically immunoglobulin heavy chain (Ig VH) gene usage, remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate age-associated changes in the expressed B cell repertoire in humans.
  • To compare Ig VH cDNA libraries from elderly and young adults to identify differences in gene expression and mutation patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of Ig VH cDNA libraries derived from circulating B cells of elderly and young human adults.
  • Utilized single-cell RT-PCR in two elderly individuals to validate findings and assess potential bias toward activated cells in library analysis.

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Main Results:

  • Nearly two-thirds of B cell clones in both age groups exhibited minimal V(H) mutations, indicating continued production of naive B cells.
  • A notable increase in V(H)4 family gene expression was observed in elderly subjects, contrasting with the predominant V(H)3 family expression in young adults.
  • While individual variation was higher in the elderly, both cDNA library analysis and single-cell RT-PCR showed similar V(H) family usage patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Aging humans maintain the capacity to generate naive B cells with unmutated Ig genes.
  • A shift towards increased utilization of V(H)4 family members in the elderly suggests altered selection processes during B cell development prior to antigen-driven affinity maturation.