Rôle des radeaux lipidiques dans l'immunosénescence des sous-populations de lymphocytes T humains

Le vieillissement s'accompagne d'un déclin de l'immunité, c'est l'immunosénéscence. Les lymphocytes sont des cibles du vieillissement et lors de la stimulation de leur récepteur (TCR) la production d'interleukine-2 est déficiente. Pour expliquer la perte de fonctionnalité des lymphocytes T avec le vieillissement humain, plusieurs hypothèses sont mises en avant dont celle suggérant un défaut de transmission du signal intracellulaire à partir du TCR. Plusieurs études ont démontré que des défauts de signalisation sont effectivement présents dans les voies de signalisation du TCR. La plupart des voies de signalisation sont affectées et il est possible qu'une défaillance en amont puisse toutes les expliquer. Cependant, aucune explication ne pouvait être apportée jusqu'à la découverte de l'existence des radeaux lipidiques membranaires. Ces radeaux lipidiques enrichis en cholestérol et molécules facilitent la signalisation intracellulaire en permettant la formation du signalosome. Ces structures sont initiatrices de la signalisation du TCR. Nous avons émis l'hypothèse que ce sont des défaillances dans les fonctions des radeaux lipidiques qui expliqueraient les altérations en aval de la membrane. Nous avons démontré que les cellules T quiescentes de la personne âgée (+ 65 ans) ont une quantité de cholestérol deux fois plus importante dans les radeaux lipidiques. Ceci s'accompagne d'une diminution de la fluidité. La modulation du contenu en cholestérol par la cyclodextrine permet de contrôler la fluidité membranaire. Cependant, la cyclodextrine a d'autres effets et n'est pas préconisée pour moduler les fonctions des lymphocytes T. De plus, LAT est dans un état de phosphorylation significativement supérieur avec le vieillissement. En ce qui concerne Lck, la molécule est hyper-phosphorylée dans les radeaux lipidiques. Cet état d'activation est relié au phénomène d'Inflamm-Aging. Lors de la stimulation du TCR, le recrutement des molécules de signalisation est diminué par rapport aux sujets jeunes (18-25 ans). La phosphorylation de LAT et Lck est significativement diminuée dans les radeaux lipidiques des lymphocytes CD4[indice supérieur +] activés de personnes âgées. La signalisation issue du CD28 est altérée dans ces cellules (Akt). La mesure de la quantité de CD28 dans les radeaux lipidiques est significativement supérieure dans les cellules CD8 [indice supérieur +] activés de personnes âgées. La signalisation issue du CD28 est altérée dans ces cellules (Akt). La mesure de la quantité de CD28 dans les radeaux lipidiques est significativement supérieure dans les cellules CD8 [indice supérieur + comparativement aux cellules CD4[indice supérieur +]. Les cellules CD8[indice supérieur +] ont un signalosome pré-formé alors que les lymphocytes CD4[indice supérieur +] sont dépendants de la polarisation des radeaux lipidiques. La perte d'expression du CD28 chez les cellules CD8[indice supérieur +] n'a pas de répercussion sur sa signalisation alors que les cellules CD4[indice supérieur +] ont un défaut dans la phosphorylation de Akt malgré l'expression du CD28 inchangée. L'immunosénéscence s'explique en partie par la perte de fonction des radeaux lipidiques dans les cellules CD4[indice supérieur +]. Ces résultats suggèrent que les fonctions des radeaux lipidiques dans les sous-populations lymphocytaires définissent la capacité des cellules à répondre et à s'adapter au milieu environnant

Metformin monotherapy downregulates diabetes-associated inflammatory status and impacts on mortality

Aging is the main risk factor for developing diabetes and other age-related diseases. One of the most common features of age-related comorbidities is the presence of low-grade chronic inflammation. This is also the case of metabolic syndrome and diabetes. At the subclinical level, a pro-inflammatory phenotype was shown to be associated with Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This low to mid-grade inflammation is also present in elderly individuals and has been termed inflammaging. Whether inflammation is a component of aging or exclusively associated with age-related diseases in not entirely known. We used clinical data and biological readouts in a group of individuals stratified by age, diabetes status and comorbidities to investigate this aspect. While aging is the main predisposing factor for several diseases there is a concomitant increased level of pro-inflammatory cytokines. DM patients show an increased level of sTNFRll, sICAM-1, and TIMP-1 when compared to Healthy, Non-DM and Pre-DM individuals. These inflammatory molecules are also associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome in Non-DM and pre-DM individuals. We also show that metformin monotherapy was associated with significantly lower levels of inflammatory molecules, like TNF, sTNFRI and sTNFRII, when compared to other monotherapies. Longitudinal follow up indicates a higher proportion of death occurs in individuals taking other monotherapies compared to metformin monotherapy. Together our finding shows that chronic inflammation is present in healthy elderly individuals and exacerbated with diabetes patients. Likewise, metformin could help target age-related chronic inflammation in general, and reduce the predisposition to comorbidities and mortality

Does inflammation determine whether obesity is metabolically healthy or unhealthy? the aging perspective

10.1155/2012/456456Mediators of Inflammation20121-1

Immunity, ageing and cancer

Compromised immunity contributes to the decreased ability of the elderly to control infectious disease and to their generally poor response to vaccination. It is controversial as to how far this phenomenon contributes to the well-known age-associated increase in the occurrence of many cancers in the elderly. However, should the immune system be important in controlling cancer, for which there is a great deal of evidence, it is logical to propose that dysfunctional immunity in the elderly would contribute to compromised immunosurveillance and increased cancer occurrence. The chronological age at which immunosenescence becomes clinically important is known to be influenced by many factors, including the pathogen load to which individuals are exposed throughout life. It is proposed here that the cancer antigen load may have a similar effect on "immune exhaustion" and that pathogen load and tumor load may act additively to accelerate immunosenescence. Understanding how and why immune responsiveness changes in humans as they age is essential for developing strategies to prevent or restore dysregulated immunity and assure healthy longevity, clearly possible only if cancer is avoided. Here, we provide an overview of the impact of age on human immune competence, emphasizing T-cell-dependent adaptive immunity, which is the most sensitive to ageing. This knowledge will pave the way for rational interventions to maintain or restore appropriate immune function not only in the elderly but also in the cancer patient

Relationships Between Ion Channels, Mitochondrial Functions and Inflammation in Human Aging

Aging is often associated with a loss of function. We believe aging to be more an adaptation to the various, and often continuous, stressors encountered during life in order to maintain overall functionality of the systems. The maladaptation of a system during aging may increase the susceptibility to diseases. There are basic cellular functions that may influence and/or are influenced by aging. Mitochondrial function is amongst these. Their presence in almost all cell types makes of these valuable targets for interventions to slow down or even reserve signs of aging. In this review, the role of mitochondria and essential physiological regulators of mitochondria and cellular functions, ion channels, will be discussed in the context of human aging. The origins of inflamm-aging, associated with poor clinical outcomes, will be linked to mitochondria and ion channel biology

The role of the MAPK pathway alterations in GM-CSF modulated human neutrophil apoptosis with aging

BACKGROUND: Neutrophils represent the first line of defence against aggressions. The programmed death of neutrophils is delayed by pro-inflammatory stimuli to ensure a proper resolution of the inflammation in time and place. The pro-inflammatory stimuli include granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Recently, we have demonstrated that although neutrophils have an identical spontaneous apoptosis in elderly subjects compared to that in young subjects, the GM-CSF-induced delayed apoptosis is markedly diminished. The present study investigates whether an alteration of the GM-CSF stimulation of MAPKs play a role in the diminished rescue from apoptosis of PMN of elderly subjects. METHODS: Neutrophils were separated from healthy young and elderly donors satisfying the SENIEUR protocol. Neutrophils were stimulated with GM-CSF and inhibitors of the MAPKinase pathway. Apoptosis commitment, phosphorylation of signaling molecules, caspase-3 activities as well as expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic molecules were performed in this study. Data were analyzed using Student's two-tailed t-test for independent means. Significance was set for p ≤ 0.05 unless stated otherwise. RESULTS: In this paper we present evidence that an alteration in the p42/p44 MAPK activation occurs in PMN of elderly subjects under GM-CSF stimulation and this plays a role in the decreased delay of apoptosis of PMN in elderly. We also show that p38 MAPK does not play a role in GM-CSF delayed apoptosis in PMN of any age-groups, while it participates to the spontaneous apoptosis. Our results also show that the alteration of the p42/p44 MAPK activation contributes to the inability of GM-CSF to decrease the caspase-3 activation in PMN of elderly subjects. Moreover, GM-CSF converts the pro-apoptotic phenotype to an anti-apoptotic phenotype by modulating the bcl-2 family members Bax and Bcl-xL in PMN of young subjects, while this does not occur in PMN of elderly. However, this modulation seems MAPK independent. CONCLUSION: Our results show that the alteration of p42/p44 MAPK activation contributes to the GM-CSF induced decreased PMN rescue from apoptosis in elderly subjects. The modulation of MAPK activation in PMN of elderly subjects might help to restore the functionality of PMN with aging

Multiparameter flow cytometric analysis of CD4 and CD8 T cell subsets in young and old people

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>T cell-mediated immunity in elderly people is compromised in ways reflected in the composition of the peripheral T cell pool. The advent of polychromatic flow cytometry has made analysis of cell subsets feasible in unprecedented detail.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we document shifts in subset distribution within naïve (N), central memory (CM) and effector memory (EM) cells defined by CD45RA and CCR7 expression in the elderly, additionally using the costimulatory receptors CD27 and CD28, as well as the coinhibitory receptors CD57 and KLRG-1, to further dissect these. Although differences between young and old were more marked in CD8 than in CD4 cells, a similar overall pattern prevailed in both. Thus, the use of all these markers together, and inclusion of assays of proliferation and cytokine secretion, may enable the construction of a differentiation scheme applicable to CD4 as well as CD8 cells, with the model (based on Romero et al.) suggesting the progression N→CM→EM1→EM2→pE1→pE2→EM4→EM3→E end-stage non-proliferative effector cells.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Overall, the results suggest that both differences in subset distribution and differences between subsets are responsible for age-related changes in CD8 cells but that differences within rather than between subsets are more prominent for CD4 cells.</p

An Overview of T Cell Subsets and Their Potential Use as Markers of Immunological Ageing

Abstract -Until recently, T cells were divided into two main categories, the helpers, expressing the CD4, and the cytotoxic, expressing the CD8 molecule. Their origin and differentiation have been well documented, leading to numerous discoveries and new therapies. But with time, immunologists identified T cell complexity. Step by step, scientists have identified more than ten different T cell subsets with their own lineage, role and specificity. For instance, the helpers T cells can now be divided at least into six subpopulations based on their general function. Additionally, each subset is further discriminated based on surface/intracellular markers. In addition of the classical T cells, T cells are specialized cells recognizing mainly phospho-antigens. All T cell differentiate after antigen recognition into different subsets of memory cells and ultimately may become senescent. In the present review we summarize the latest information about T cell development and differentiation as well as the particularities of each subset and discuss how this evolves over age