A Possible Role for Cytomegalovirus in the Immune Surveillance of Senescent Cells in Old Age

Researchers here report on evidence for CD4+ T cells to be important in keeping senescent cell numbers under control in later life, an interaction mediated by the presence of cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV is a persistent viral infection that is near ubiquitous in the older population, and which coerces ever more of the immune system to become specialized to fight it, to the detriment of other functions. We know that the number of senescent cells in tissues grows with age, slowly, and that the immune system appears to become less efficient at removing these cells, leading to an imbalance between creation and destruction. A lingering burden of senescent cells produces inflammatory, disruptive signaling that harms cell and tissue function, contributing to degenerative aging. One point here is that while researchers show CD4+ T cells to be capable of destroying senescent cells, and a higher count of these cells correlating with lesser numbers of senescent cells, this is not a conclusive proof that CD4+ T cells are the ones undertaking most of the work. CD4+ T cell counts could well be a reflection of the health and capacity of other components of the immune system that are also attacking senescent cells. Boosting the body's anti-viral immune response may eliminate aging cells Researchers found more senescent cells in the old skin compared with young skin samples. However, in the samples from old individuals, the number of senescent cells did not increas...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs