title: Age-associated decline in effective immune synapse formation of CD4(+) T cells is reversed by vitamin E supplementation.
abstract: Aging is associated with reduced IL-2 production and T cell proliferation. Vitamin E supplementation, in aged animals and humans, increases cell division and IL-2 production by naive T cells. The immune synapse forms at the site of contact between a T cell and an APC and participates in T cell activation. We evaluated whether vitamin E affects the redistribution of signaling proteins to the immune synapse. Purified CD4(+) T cells, from the spleens of young and old mice, were treated with vitamin E before stimulation with a surrogate APC expressing anti-CD3. Using confocal fluorescent microscopy, we observed that CD4(+) T cells from old mice were significantly less likely to recruit signaling proteins to the immune synapse than cells from young mice. Vitamin E increased the percentage of old CD4(+) T cells capable of forming an effective immune synapse. Similar results were found following in vivo supplementation with vitamin E. When compared with memory cells, naive T cells from aged mice were more defective in immune synapse formation and were more responsive to vitamin E supplementation. These data show, for the first time, that vitamin E significantly improves age-related early T cell signaling events in naive CD4(+) T cells.
authors.affiliation: Nutritional Immunology Laboratory, Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA 02111, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Marko
authors.forename: Tanvir
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Stephen C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bunnell
authors.forename: Dayong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Heekyung
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Brigitte T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: Simin Nikbin
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Meydani
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000187:drug effects*; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014810:Vitamin E