In vitro senescence models for human T lymphocytes

Immunosenescence is an age-associated dysregulation of immune function which may contribute to the increased susceptibility of the elderly to infectious disease. Although age-associated changes are measurable in the innate immune system, it is the adaptive arm of the immune system which is particularly susceptible to the deleterious effects of ageing, especially the T cell compartment. In this review, the characteristics of longitudinal ageing in cultured monoclonal human T cell populations will be summarized. It will be argued that parallels between this in vitro model and T cell senescence in vivo suggest the use of such models to screen for interventions ameliorating immunosenescence in vivo.