Age-related changes in the degeneracy of the mouse T-cell repertoire.
Aging is associated with a decline in T-cell-dependent immune responses. As the number of T-cells remains relatively constant throughout life, the observed decline in T-cell function may reflect qualitative changes in the T-cells themselves or in the composition of the T-cell population. In this investigation, the quality of the T-cell response was studied in young-adult and aged B6C3F1 mice by assessing the degeneracy of the hapten-specific proliferative response to the antigen-MHC complex. Degeneracy was defined as the ability of lymph node cells from mice contact-sensitized to the hapten TNP to proliferate in response to in vitro stimulation with haptenated allogeneic antigen-presenting cells, thus escaping strict MHC restriction. It was found that, although degeneracy occurred in both age groups, it was more prevalent and of a greater magnitude in the young than in the old lymphocytes. These results suggest that there are qualitative differences in T-cell populations derived from young-adult and aged mice.
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
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Helfrich
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D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006241:Haptens / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007519:Isoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000276:immunology; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*
D006183:H-2 Antigens; D006241:Haptens; D007519:Isoantigens