Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; Population Biology, Ecology, and Evolution Program, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Ageing Res Rev. 2019 May;51:11-23. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2019.01.011. Epub 2019 Feb 12.
A healthy functioning immune system is critical to stave off infectious diseases, but as humans and other organisms age, their immune systems decline. As a result, diseases that were readily thwarted in early life pose nontrivial harm and can even be deadly in late life. Immunosenescence is defined as the general deterioration of the immune system with age, and it is characterized by functional changes in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and specific blood cell types as well as changes in levels of numerous factors, particularly those involved in inflammation. Potential mechanisms underlying immunosenescence include epigenetic changes such as changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) and DNA hydroxymethylation (DNAhm) that occur with age. The purpose of this review is to describe what is currently known about the relationship between immunosenescence and the age-related changes to DNAm and DNAhm, and to discuss experimental approaches best suited to fill gaps in our understanding.
健康的免疫系统对于抵御传染病至关重要，但随着人类和其他生物体的衰老，它们的免疫系统会衰退。因此，在早期生活中很容易被阻止的疾病会造成实质性的伤害，甚至在晚年可能是致命的。免疫衰老被定义为随着年龄的增长免疫系统的普遍恶化，其特征是造血干细胞（HSCs）和特定血细胞类型的功能变化，以及许多因素水平的变化，特别是那些与炎症有关的因素。免疫衰老的潜在机制包括表观遗传变化，例如随着年龄的增长而发生的 DNA 甲基化（DNAm）和 DNA 羟甲基化（DNAhm）的变化。本综述的目的是描述目前已知的免疫衰老与 DNAm 和 DNAhm 随年龄变化之间的关系，并讨论最适合填补我们理解空白的实验方法。
