| First Author | Plett A | Year | 2000 |
| Journal | Mech Ageing Dev | Volume | 112 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 197-215 |
| PubMed ID | 10687925 | Mgi Jnum | J:59987 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:1352369 | Doi | 10.1016/s0047-6374(99)00091-3 |
| Citation | Plett A, et al. (2000) Genetic differences in the age-associated decrease in inducibility of natural killer cells by interferon-alpha/beta. Mech Ageing Dev 112(3):197-215 |
| abstractText | Natural killer (NK) cells, which are important in viral infections and anti-tumor activity, show reduced cytotoxicity in aged mice. The mechanism(s) for this age-related decline in NK activity has not been clearly established. We assessed changes in NK cytotoxicity in splenocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells after interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta stimulation in adult (6 months) and aged (22-26 months) C57Bl/6, Balb/c, and (Balb/c x C57Bl/6)F1 mice. Aged C57Bl/6 and Balb/c mice had a significantly reduced IFN-alpha/beta-stimulated NK cytotoxicity compared to adult mice. In contrast, adult and aged F1 mice showed similar NK cytotoxicity after IFN-alpha/beta induction. The decreased ability of NK cells of aged mice to respond to induction by IFN-alpha/beta was not due to a requirement for an increased amount of IFN or for a longer period of treatment with IFN. Further, this decreased response did not appear to be the result of suppressive activity of adherent cells or T cells. While the percentage of NK cells (NK1.1+) was similar in adult and aged mice, the (CD8+ NK1.1+) subset of NK cells was significantly increased in aged mice. Importantly, the percentage of CD8+ NK1.1+ cells was inversely related to the cytotoxicity observed after IFN-alpha/beta treatment. |
