title: Vitamin E supplementation reverses the age-associated decrease in effective immune synapse formation in CD4+ T cells.
abstract: Aging is associated with impairment of T cell function. We demonstrate here that age-associated declines in T cell signaling are due to the inability to form effective immune synapses at the site of the T cell receptor and antigen interaction. On the basis of our previous research with vitamin E (VE), we hypothesized that VE supplementation of old CD4(+) T cells enhances effective immune synapse formation through increased translocation of signaling proteins. Using confocal microscopy, we found that when exposed to antigen-presenting cells, CD4(+) T cells from old mice have a lower percentage of effective immune synapses compared to those from young mice. Furthermore, we show that in vitro and in vivo VE supplementation increases the percentage of old CD4(+) T cells capable of forming a functional immune synapse. Further studies are under way to determine the mechanisms of age and VE-induced enhancement of effective immune synapse formation.
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, 711 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111, USA. simin.meydani@tufts.edu
authors.forename: Tanvir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marko
authors.forename: Dayong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Heekyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Simin Nikbin
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Meydani
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013569:Synapses / Q000502:physiology*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E