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Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Generation of Human CD40-activated B cells
Published on: October 17, 2009
B cells in the aged: CD27, CD5, and CD40 expression
Giuseppina Colonna-Romano1, Matteo Bulati, Alessandra Aquino
1Grupppo di Studio sull'Immunosenescenza, Dipartimento di Biopatologia e Metodologie Biomediche, Università di Palermo, Corso Tukory, 211, 90134, Palermo, Italy. gcolonna@unipa.it
Insights
Aging alters B cell populations, decreasing CD5+ and CD40+ cells but increasing CD27+ cells. These changes, alongside increased NK cells, suggest altered antibody production in the elderly due to immune remodeling.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Gerontology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Aging significantly impacts lymphocyte subpopulations, affecting immune function.
- Specific B cell subsets, identified by CD27, CD5, and CD40 markers, play crucial roles in adaptive immunity.
- CD27 marks memory B cells, CD5 is associated with B1 cells involved in T-cell-independent responses, and CD40 is vital for T-cell-dependent antibody production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in specific B cell subpopulations (CD27+, CD5+, CD40+).
- To explore the implications of these changes on antibody production regulation in the elderly.
- To examine the potential role of B and NK cell interactions in immune remodeling during aging.
Main Methods:
- Flow cytometry analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes.
- Quantification of absolute numbers and percentages of B cells expressing CD27, CD5, and CD40 markers.
- Comparison of B cell profiles between elderly individuals and younger controls (implied).
Main Results:
- A decrease in the absolute number of CD5+ and CD40+ B cells was observed in the elderly.
- CD27+ B lymphocytes showed only a marginal decrease in centenarians.
- The percentage of CD5+ B cells decreased, while CD27+ B cells increased, with no significant change in CD40+ B cells.
Conclusions:
- Aging leads to distinct alterations in B cell subset distribution, characterized by reduced CD5+ and CD40+ cells and increased CD27+ cells.
- These B cell changes, coupled with an increase in NK cells, suggest a remodeled immune system in the elderly.
- Altered B and NK cell interactions may underlie the modified antibody production observed in aging individuals.
Abstract:
Ageing is characterized by numerous changes in lymphocyte subpopulations. In the present paper we have focused on B cells carrying the surface markers CD27, CD5 and CD40. CD27 is considered a marker of primed (memory) cells and its engagement promotes the differentiation of memory B cells into plasma cells. CD5 is expressed on B1 cells, which are considered to be responsible for T cell-independent antibody production other than autoantibodies. The CD40 molecule binds CD40L (CD154) and is necessary for T-dependent antibody responses. Here we show that the absolute number of CD5+ and CD40+ B cells is decreased in the elderly, while CD27+ B lymphocytes only marginally decrease in centenarians. However, there is a decrease of the percentage of CD5+ B cells, an increase of CD27+ B cells, while CD40 does not change significantly. These data, together with the increased number of NK cells during aging, suggest different regulation of antibody production in the elderly which might be another example of immune remodeling with aging, based on interactions between human B and NK cells.
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