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Age-dependent accumulation of thymic hormone-sensitive cells
Thymus
|December 1, 1981
Summary
As mice age, T-cell populations change, impacting immune responses. Thymic hormone treatment reversed these age-related immune shifts, suggesting hormone sensitivity in T-cells.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
Background:
- T-cell subsets undergo age-related changes in thymus and spleen.
- Immune function, including graft-versus-host reactions and mitogen responses, varies with age.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related alterations in T-cell subsets in mice.
- To determine the role of thymic hormones in modulating these age-dependent changes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of T-cell subsets (Thy 1 antigen expression) in thymus and spleen of BALB/c mice aged 1-9 months.
- Assessment of graft-versus-host reaction intensity using spleen and lymph node cells in F1 hybrids.
- Measurement of thymocyte response to Concanavalin A (Con A) via migration inhibition.
- In vitro preincubation of cells with a thymic hormone preparation.
Main Results:
- Increased proportion of T cells with high Thy 1 antigen concentration in thymus and spleen with age.
- Enhanced graft-versus-host reaction intensity in older mice.
- Decreased response of thymocytes to Con A in older mice.
- Reversal of all observed age-related changes to 1-month-old levels after thymic hormone preincubation.
Conclusions:
- Age-dependent changes in T-cell populations and immune function were observed in mice.
- These alterations are reversible with thymic hormone treatment.
- The findings suggest an accumulation of thymic hormone-sensitive cells contributes to age-related immune modulation.