title: Age-dependent changes in the susceptibility to apoptosis of peripheral blood CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes with virgin or memory phenotype.
abstract: Susceptibility to apoptosis changes with age and most of the available data on lymphocytes refer to mitogen stimulated cells. We studied this susceptibility in quiescent, purified CD4+ or CD8+ T cells from a group of Italian old people compared with a group of young people. We found that an apoptotic agent such as 2-deoxy-D-ribose (dRib), which acts via glutathione depletion and oxidative stress, was more effective in CD4+ T cells from young donors, while no difference was found in CD8+ T cells. On the contrary, another agent such as TNF-alpha, which acts via receptor engagement, was more effective in CD8+ T cells from old subjects, and no difference was found in CD4+ T cells. When marker of activation-memory were investigated, no difference between young and old subjects was found when dRib was used. Differently, when TNF-alpha was used, memory and activated CD4+ T cells from old donors were less sensitive than younger counterparts, while memory CD8+ T cells from old donors were more sensitive than younger counterparts. This suggests that age-related changes in susceptibility to apoptosis of resting T cells largely depend on the type of the apoptotic stimulus which is used as well as on the memory phenotype of the cells. These results may also account, at least in part, for the deep remodelling of T cell repertoire that occurs during ageing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Pathology, Section of Immunology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salvioli
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Capri
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Scarcella
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mangherini
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Faranca
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Volterra
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Ronchi
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonafè
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Franceschi
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Monti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D003855:Deoxyribose / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D011897:Random Allocation; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D003855:Deoxyribose