Faculty Articles
Lineage-specific telomere shortening and unaltered capacity for telomerase expression in human T and B lymphocytes with age.
Publication Title
Journal of Immunology
Publisher
American Association of Immunologists
ISSN
0022-1767
Publication Date
8-1-2000
Keywords
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging, Antigens, CD19, B-Lymphocytes, CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes, CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes, Cell Division, Cell Lineage, Cells, Cultured, Child, Child, Preschool, Enzyme Activation, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Middle Aged, T-Lymphocytes, Telomerase, Telomere
Abstract
Age effects on telomere length and telomerase expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes were analyzed from 121 normal individuals age newborn to 94 years and revealed several new findings. 1) Telomere shortening was observed in CD4+ and CD8+ T and B cells with age. However, the rate of telomere loss was significantly different in these populations, 35 +/- 8, 26 +/- 7, and 19 +/- 7 bp/year for CD4+ and CD8+ T and B cells, respectively. In addition, CD4+ T cells had the longest average telomeres at all ages, followed by B cells, with CD8+ T cell telomeres the shortest, suggesting that these lymphocyte populations may have different replicative histories in vivo. 2) Telomerase activity in freshly isolated T and B cells was indistinguishably low to undetectable at all ages but was markedly increased after Ag and costimulatory receptors mediated stimulation in vitro. Furthermore, age did not alter the magnitude of telomerase activity induced after stimulation of T or B lymphocytes through Ag and costimulatory receptors or in response to PMA plus ionomycin treatment. 3) The levels of telomerase activity induced by in vitro stimulation varied among individual donors but were highly correlated with the outcome of telomere length change in CD4+ T cells after Ag receptor-mediated activation. Together, these results indicate that rates of age-associated loss of telomere length in vivo in peripheral blood lymphocytes is specific to T and B cell subsets and that age does not significantly alter the capacity for telomerase induction in lymphocytes.
DOI
10.4049/jimmunol.165.3.1191
Volume
165
Issue
3
First Page
1191
Last Page
1196
Disciplines
Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathy
NSUWorks Citation
Son, N H; Murray, Shannon Marie; Yanovski, J; Hodes, R J; and Weng, N, "Lineage-specific telomere shortening and unaltered capacity for telomerase expression in human T and B lymphocytes with age." (2000). Faculty Articles. 1547.
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hpd_com_faculty_articles/1547
