Abstract
To determine whether aging affects the ability of T cells to undergo metabolic reprogramming upon activation, we compared CD4 T cell responses after polyclonal in vitro stimulation. Compared to younger adults, CD4 memory T cells from healthy older individuals exhibited a higher upregulation of oxidative phosphorylation with increased production of reactive oxygen species and intracellular and secreted ATP. Increased ATP secretion led to increased purinergic signaling and P2X7-dependent increases in cytoplasmic calcium. The increased mitochondrial activity was not due to a difference in activation-induced mitochondrial biogenesis. Expression of carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1 was higher, conversely that of fatty acid synthase was reduced in older T cells, resulting in increased fatty acid oxidation, while depleting intracellular lipid stores. The aged CD4 memory T cells therefore maintain a more catabolic state in lipid metabolism, while their ability to upregulate glycolysis upon activation is preserved.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 58-67 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Clinical Immunology |
Volume | 207 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2019 |
Keywords
- Aging
- CD4 memory T cells
- Fatty acid oxidation
- Immunometabolism
- Immunosenescence
- T cell activation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology