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Age-related changes in surface antigens on peripheral lymphocytes of healthy children
1Department of Paediatrics, Osaka University Hospital, Suita, Japan.
Insights
Immune cell populations shift with age. Natural killer (NK) cells and certain T cell subsets increase, while others like CD4+ T cells decrease, indicating significant age-related immune system changes.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Lymphocyte subsets play crucial roles in immune responses.
- Understanding age-related changes in lymphocyte populations is vital for assessing immune function over a lifespan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related alterations in the proportions of various lymphocyte subsets in human blood.
- To identify specific immune cell populations that undergo significant changes with aging.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of lymphocyte subsets in cord blood and peripheral blood from healthy children and adults.
- Flow cytometry was used to quantify percentages of T cells, B cells, NK cells, and their subtypes based on specific surface markers (e.g., CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45RA, CD45RO, CD56, CD20).
Main Results:
- Natural killer (NK) cells and gamma delta T cells showed significant age-dependent increases.
- Proportions of CD45RAbright+ lymphocytes and CD4+ T cells decreased with age, while CD45RO+ cells and CD8+ T cell subsets increased.
- Specific subsets like CD45RAbright+ CD8+ and S6F1bright+ CD8+ cells contributed to the overall CD8+ T cell increase.
Conclusions:
- Lymphocyte composition undergoes significant remodeling throughout human life.
- The observed shifts, particularly the increase in NK cells and specific T cell subsets, suggest adaptive immune changes associated with aging.
- These findings contribute to a better understanding of immune system development and aging.
Abstract:
The age-related changes in proportion of various subsets within lymphocytes were investigated in cord blood and peripheral blood from healthy children and adults. The percentages of T and B cells did not show age-related changes, whereas natural killer (NK) cells increased significantly with age. Within lymphocytes or the CD3+ T cell population the proportion of CD45RAbright+ lymphocytes decreased and that of CD45RO+ cells increased, while that of CD45RAdim+ cells showed no age-related change. Within lymphocytes, the percentage of CD45RAbright+ CD4+ cells decreased, together with a decline of that of CD4+ cells. The proportions of CD45RAbright+ CD8+ cells and S6F1bright+ CD8+ cells increased with age, and the age-dependent increase of the proportion of CD8+ cells seems to be mainly attributable to the increases in these subsets. The CD45RAdim+ CD4+ and CD45RAdim+ CD8+ cells co-expressing CD45RO at a low level nevertheless showed no age-related changes. In gamma delta T cells, both delta TCS1+ and delta TCS1- T cells increased with age, but the delta TCS1- gamma delta T cells increased more than the delta TCS1+ subset. Among lymphocytes, the percentages of CD20+, CD21+ and CD22+ cells remained similar, with no age-related changes, but the proportion of CD5+ cells within lymphocytes or B cells decreased. The proportions of CD16+ NK cells among lymphocytes increased with age, and this change was attributable to the increase of CD56+ cells.