Faculty Articles

Title

Lineage-specific telomere shortening and unaltered capacity for telomerase expression in human T and B lymphocytes with age.

ISBN or ISSN

0022-1767

Publication Title

Journal of Immunology

Volume

165

Issue

3

Publication Date / Copyright Date

8-1-2000

First Page

1191

Last Page

1196

Publisher

American Association of Immunologists

DOI Number

10.4049/jimmunol.165.3.1191

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.

Disciplines

Medical Specialties | Medicine and Health Sciences | Osteopathic Medicine and Osteopathy

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

Peer Reviewed

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