title: Age-related alteration of cytokine production profile by T cell subsets in mice: a flow cytometric study.
abstract: Spleen cells from young and old C57BL/6 mice were stimulated with a combination of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies, and the profile of cytokine production was examined by two different methods; the concentrations of cytokines as measured by ELISA, and identification of cytokine-positive cells by flow cytometry. The ELISA method revealed that IL-2 production by spleen cells after stimulation was significantly lower in the old mice compared to the young mice. while IFN-gamma production was the reverse. The flow cytometric analysis showed that the percentage of IL-2 positive cells in spleen cells after the stimulation was significantly lower in the older mice than in the young mice, and vice versa for the percentage of IFN-gamma-positive cells. Regarding the T cell subsets, CD4+ T cells were a major source of IL-2 in both the young and old mice. IL-2-positive cells in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells showed a significant decrease with age. On the contrary, CDX T cells were the major source of IFN-gamma. An age-related increase of IFN-gamma positive cells was observed in both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. CD4 T cells were the major source of IL-4, and the percentage of IL-4-positive CD4+ T cells also increased with age, although the level of IL-4 production was modest in C57BL/6 mice compared with IL-2 and IFN-gamma. Such age-related changes of cytokine production are presumed to play an important role in the alteration of immunological capacity with age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wakikawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Utsuyama
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirokawa
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018106:CD28 Antigens; D017252:CD3 Complex; D016207:Cytokines; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma