Age-related changes in LFA-1 expression, cell adhesion, and PHA-induced proliferation by lymphocytes from...

Accelerated senescence-prone mice of the SAM-P/8jf series were compared with senescence-resistant SAM-R/1 controls in terms of age-related changes in phytohemagglutinin (PHA) proliferative responses and lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) utilization by non-adherent splenocytes. Advancing age was associated with a reduction in cell proliferative responses to PHA in both substrains, although the rate of decline was significantly more rapid in the senescence-prone animals. Conversely, in both substrains there was a progressive age-related increase in the proportion of splenocytes expressing high levels of LFA-1, and a parallel increase in the degree of LFA-1-dependent cell aggregation induced by phorbol ester. Age-matched SAM-P/8jf and SAM-R/1 mice did not differ in terms of LFA-1 expression or LFA-1-dependent cell aggregation. Two-color cytofluorometric analysis demonstrated the enhanced expression of LFA-1 expression by cells bearing the Pgp-1hi phenotype characteristic of memory lymphocytes. These results suggest that age-associated changes in lymphocyte adhesion are attributable to alterations in the relative numbers of memory cells expressing high levels of LFA-1, but are unlikely to contribute to the reduced proliferative response to mitogen in aged mice.