Age-related decline in the lethal hit but not the binding stage of cytotoxic T-cell activity in mice.
The activity of allogeneic cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) declines with aging, as measured at the population level in chromium release assays, and is associated with a decreased proliferative response to the inducing alloantigens. At the single cell level, no difference was noted between target binding cells obtained from alloantigen-stimulated spleen cells of young and old mice. However, a consistent, large, and significant difference was observed between CTL generated from the spleens of young and old mice in the percentage of bound effector cells with lysed targets, i.e., the percentage of killer cells. These results show age-related changes in the lethal hit stage and not the binding stage of CTL activity. This change could be used as a probe to identify the important mechanism(s) which mediates CTL activity.
Bloom
E T
ET
Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, West Los Angeles, California 90073.
Kubota
L F
LF
Kawakami
K
K
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D005260:Female; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*