title: Sex and age as determinants of rat T-cell phenotypic characteristics: influence of peripubertal gonadectomy.
abstract: The study examined the influence of age, sex and peripubertal gonadectomy on a set of T-cell phenotypic parameters. Rats of both sexes were gonadectomised at the age of 1 month and peripheral blood and spleen T lymphocytes from non-gonadectomised and gonadectomised 3- and 11-month-old rats were examined for the expression of differentiation/activation (CD90/CD45RC) and immunoregulatory markers. Peripheral blood T lymphocytes from non-gonadectomised rats showed age-dependent sexual dimorphisms in (1) total count (lower in female than male 11-month-old rats); (2) CD4+:CD8 + cell ratio (higher in female than male rats of both ages); (3) the proportion of recent thymic emigrants in CD8 + T cells (lower in female than male 3-month-old rats) and (4) the proportions of mature naïve and memory/activated cells (irrespective of age, the proportion of naïve cells was higher, whereas that of memory/activated cells was lower in females). Gonadectomy influenced magnitudes or direction of these sex differences. Additionally, sex differences in peripheral blood T-lymphocyte parameters did not fully correspond to those observed in T-splenocyte parameters, suggesting the compartment-specific regulation of the major T-cell subpopulations' and their subsets' composition. Furthermore, there was no sexual dimorphism in the proportion of either CD25 + Foxp3 + cells among CD4 + or CD161+ (NKT) cells within CD8 + T lymphocytes. However, there was gonadal hormone-independent age-associated sexual dimorphism in the proportion of CD161 + cells (NKT cells) in CD8 + T splenocytes. Overall, the study revealed age-dependent variations in sexual dimorphisms in T-cell parameters relevant for immune response efficacy and showed that they are T-cell compartment-specific and partly gonadal hormone-related.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Nevena
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arsenović-Ranin
authors.affiliation: Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Duško
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kosec
authors.affiliation: Immunology Research Centre "Branislav Janković", Institute of Virology, Vaccines and Sera "Torlak", 458 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pilipović
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Mirjana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nacka-Aleksić
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Biljana
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bufan
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Zorica
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Stojić-Vukanić
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Belgrade, 450 Vojvode Stepe, 11221, Belgrade, Serbia. Gordana.Leposavic@pharmacy.bg.ac.rs.
authors.forename: Gordana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leposavić
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002369:Castration; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD
keywords: CD4:CD8 + T-cell ratio; Gonadectomy; Recent thymic emigrants; Regulatory T cells; Sex differences