T cell aging: naive but not young.
The immune system exhibits profound age-related changes, collectively termed immunosenescence. The most visible of these is the decline in protective immunity, which results from a complex interaction of primary immune defects and compensatory homeostatic mechanisms. The sum of these changes is a dysregulation of many processes that normally ensure optimal immune function. Recent advances suggest that old mice can produce fully functional new T cells, opening both intriguing inquiry avenues and raising critical questions to be pursued.
Nikolich-Zugich
Janko
J
Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA. nikolich@ohsu.edu
D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000276:immunology*; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*