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The bone marrow as an effector T cell organ in aging
A Sharp1, T Kukulansky, Y Malkinson
1Department of Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
|March 15, 1990
Summary
Bone marrow (BM) may act as a T cell effector organ. While aging increases T cells in BM, their response duration to stimulation decreases, suggesting a compensatory role.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Aging Research
- Hematology
Background:
- T cell populations decline with age, impacting immune function.
- The bone marrow (BM) is a potential T cell effector organ.
- Investigating BM's role in compensating for age-related T cell loss.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze T cell functions within the bone marrow (BM) in young and old mice.
- To determine if the BM compensates for age-related T cell decline.
- To assess the BM's capacity as a T cell effector organ.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry to sort Thy1+ cells from young and old mouse BM.
- Proliferative response assays using Concanavalin A (conA) stimulation.
- Assessment of cytotoxic T lymphocytes precursor (CTLp) frequency and CTL function.
Main Results:
- Sorted Thy1+ cells from old BM showed lower proliferative response to conA than young.
- Intact old BM cells exhibited initially higher proliferation but for a shorter duration.
- Old BM showed higher CTLp frequency initially, with reduced proliferative CTL response but maintained effector function.
Conclusions:
- Bone marrow (BM) appears to function as a T cell effector organ.
- Aging increases effector T cells in BM, but their response is transient.
- BM may play a compensatory role in T cell immunity during aging.