T cell fate decisions during memory cell generation with aging

Semin Immunol. 2023 Jul 24;69:101800. doi: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101800. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe defense against infectious diseases, either through natural immunity or after vaccinations, relies on the generation and maintenance of protective T cell memory. Naïve T cells are at the center of memory T cell generation during primary responses. Upon activation, they undergo a complex, highly regulated differentiation process towards different functional states. Naïve T cells maintained into older age have undergone epigenetic adaptations that influence their fate decisions during differentiation. We review age-sensitive, molecular pathways and gene regulatory networks that bias naïve T cell differentiation towards effector cell generation at the expense of memory and Tfh cells. As a result, T cell differentiation in older adults is associated with release of bioactive waste products into the microenvironment, higher stress sensitivity as well as skewing towards pro-inflammatory signatures and shorter life spans. These maladaptations not only contribute to poor vaccine responses in older adults but also fuel a more inflammatory state.PMID:37494738 | DOI:10.1016/j.smim.2023.101800
Source: Seminars in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research