Xu Weili, Larbi Anis
Biology of Aging Program and Immunomonitoring Platform, Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN), Agency for Science Technology and Research (A*STAR), Immunos Building, Biopolis, Singapore 138648, Singapore.
School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore.
Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Aug 10;18(8):1742. doi: 10.3390/ijms18081742.
Many countries are facing the aging of their population, and many more will face a similar obstacle in the near future, which could be a burden to many healthcare systems. Increased susceptibility to infections, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative disease, cancer as well as reduced efficacy of vaccination are important matters for researchers in the field of aging. As older adults show higher prevalence for a variety of diseases, this also implies higher risk of complications, including nosocomial infections, slower recovery and sequels that may reduce the autonomy and overall quality of life of older adults. The age-related effects on the immune system termed as "immunosenescence" can be exemplified by the reported hypo-responsiveness to influenza vaccination of the elderly. T cells, which belong to the adaptive arm of the immune system, have been extensively studied and the knowledge gathered enables a better understanding of how the immune system may be affected after acute/chronic infections and how this matters in the long run. In this review, we will focus on T cells and discuss the surface and molecular markers that are associated with T cell senescence. We will also look at the implications that senescent T cells could have on human health and diseases. Finally, we will discuss the benefits of having these markers for investigators and the future work that is needed to advance the field of T cell senescence markers.
许多国家正面临人口老龄化问题，而且更多国家在不久的将来也将面临类似障碍，这可能给许多医疗保健系统带来负担。老年人对感染、心血管疾病、神经退行性疾病、癌症的易感性增加，以及疫苗接种效力降低，都是衰老领域研究人员关注的重要问题。由于老年人患多种疾病的患病率较高，这也意味着出现并发症的风险更高，包括医院感染、恢复缓慢以及可能降低老年人自主性和整体生活质量的后遗症。免疫系统的与年龄相关的效应被称为“免疫衰老”，老年人对流感疫苗反应低下的报道就是一个例证。T细胞属于免疫系统的适应性分支，已经得到广泛研究，所积累的知识有助于更好地理解急性/慢性感染后免疫系统可能受到的影响以及从长远来看这有何重要意义。在这篇综述中，我们将聚焦于T细胞，并讨论与T细胞衰老相关的表面标志物和分子标志物。我们还将探讨衰老T细胞对人类健康和疾病可能产生的影响。最后，我们将讨论拥有这些标志物对研究人员的益处以及推进T细胞衰老标志物领域所需的未来工作。
