title: Dramatic shifts in circulating CD4 but not CD8 T cell subsets in mild Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: The distribution of peripheral T cell subsets in young and healthy old people is markedly different, characterized by decreased numbers of naïve cells and increased numbers and clonal expansions of memory cells, predominantly in the CD8+ MHC class I-restricted subset. Here, however, we document dramatic alterations in naïve and memory subsets of CD4+ cells in patients with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), with greatly decreased percentages of naïve cells, elevated memory cells, and increased proportions of CD4+ but not CD8+ cells lacking the important costimulatory receptor CD28. CD4+CD25(high) potentially T regulatory cells with a naïve phenotype are also reduced in AD patients. Together these data provide stronger evidence than hitherto presented for more highly differentiated CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cells in AD patients, consistent with an adaptive immune system undergoing persistent antigenic challenge and possibly manifesting dysregulation as a result.
authors.affiliation: Center for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Anis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Larbi
authors.forename: Graham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pawelec
authors.forename: Jacek M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Witkowski
authors.forename: Hyman M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Schipper
authors.forename: Evelyna
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Derhovanessian
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldeck
authors.forename: Tamas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fulop
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018106:CD28 Antigens