Altered lymphocyte recognition repertoire during ageing. III. Changes in MHC restriction patterns in parental T lymphocytes and diminution in T suppressor function.
Irradiated C57BL/6 and (C57BL/6 X C3H)F1 mice have been reconstituted with bone marrow prepared from young (2 month) or aged (24 month) C57BL/6 donors. Indirect examination of the T cell receptor for H-2d alloantigens on H-2b splenocytes of these reconstituted mice, using the suppression of the H-2b anti-H-2d response induced by (H-2b X H-2d)F1 anti-(H-2b anti-H-2d) suppressor cells, suggests that the allo-receptor repertoire derived from bone marrow of aged mice is different from that of T cells derived from young bone-marrow precursors. These observations were supported by direct evidence, from rosette formation with murine erythrocytes, for changes in the T cell receptor of these different (radiation-chimaera) sources of H-2b-T cells. Along with these subtle changes in the allo-receptor repertoire of T cells derived from bone marrow of aged mice grown in irradiated F1 hosts, there is a decrease (compared with mice reconstituted with bone marrow from young donors) in the apparent frequency of T cells recognizing antigen in association with the new MHC-restricting elements in these parent F1 chimaeras. Analysis of those cell subsets reported to be involved in the regulation of MLC responses suggests that some of the differences observed between T cell differentiation from bone-marrow stem cells of young or aged donors may in part be explained by a diminution in the production from bone marrow of aged mice of those cells important for homeostasis within the immune system.
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011828:Radiation Chimera; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell