T cell receptor V-segment frequencies in peripheral CD8+ T cells in aging

Infections are a major cause of illness and death amongst elderly people. Peripheral blood CD8+ T lymphocytes --which play a crucial role in host defence against viral infections--, are divided in subsets based upon the expression of several cell and activation markers. In senescence changes and variations in peripheral CD8+ T lymphocyte compartment have been described, and such a decrease in the CD8+CD45RA+ lymphocytes. In this report the T V alpha and Vbeta cell specificities repertoire usage in aging subjects were studied by the use of seven different monoclonal antibodies specific for defined regions of the TCR. Except for the Vbeta6subfamily, no differences between old and control subjects in frequency of T cells bearing selected V alphabeta epitopes, were observed.