| First Author | Haynes L | Year | 2004 |
| Journal | J Immunol | Volume | 172 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 5194-9 |
| PubMed ID | 15100256 | Mgi Jnum | J:89679 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3041046 | Doi | 10.4049/jimmunol.172.9.5194 |
| Citation | Haynes L, et al. (2004) Inflammatory cytokines overcome age-related defects in CD4 T cell responses in vivo. J Immunol 172(9):5194-9 |
| abstractText | Age-related decreases in immune function are thought to contribute to the reduced efficacy of vaccinations seen in elderly populations. Our previous in vitro studies demonstrated that naive CD4 T cells from aged TCR-transgenic mice proliferate less than young cells and generate poorly functioning effectors due to decreased IL-2 production. In this current study, we show that this age-related defect in CD4 T cell response also occurs in vivo and that it is correlated with reduced NF-kappa B activation. After transfer to young hosts, CD4 T cells from aged transgenic mice proliferate less and produce reduced levels of IL-2 upon immunization with Ag and alum. Introducing a combination of the inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1, and IL-6, or the use of an adjuvant such as CFA that induces these cytokines, markedly enhanced responses of these aged CD4 T cells, so that they proliferated and produced IL-2 similar to young cells. This enhancement is correlated with the enhanced activation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B in aged cells. We suggest that induction of inflammatory cytokines via adjuvants may enhance the efficacy of vaccinations in elderly populations. |
