Department of Geriatrics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58202, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND 58292, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jun 5;25(11):6235. doi: 10.3390/ijms25116235.
In healthy older adults, the immune system generally preserves its response and contributes to a long, healthy lifespan. However, rapid deterioration in immune regulation can lead to chronic inflammation, termed inflammaging, which accelerates pathological aging and diminishes the quality of life in older adults with frailty. A significant limitation in current aging research is the predominant focus on comparisons between young and older populations, often overlooking the differences between healthy older adults and those experiencing pathological aging. Our study elucidates the intricate immunological dynamics of the CD4/Treg axis in frail older adults compared to comparable age-matched healthy older adults. By utilizing publicly available RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), we identified a specific Treg cell subset and transcriptional landscape contributing to the dysregulation of CD4 T-cell responses. We explored the molecular mechanisms underpinning Treg dysfunction, revealing that Tregs from frail older adults exhibit reduced mitochondrial protein levels, impairing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. This impairment is driven by the TNF/NF-kappa B pathway, leading to cumulative inflammation. Further, we gained a deeper understanding of the CD4/Treg axis by predicting the effects of gene perturbations on cellular signaling networks. Collectively, these findings highlight the age-related relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction in the CD4/Treg axis and its role in accelerating aging and frailty in older adults. Targeting Treg dysfunction offers a critical basis for developing tailored therapeutic strategies aimed at improving the quality of life in older adults.
在健康的老年人中,免疫系统通常能保持其功能,有助于其长寿健康。然而,免疫调节的迅速恶化可能导致慢性炎症,即所谓的炎症衰老,这加速了病理性衰老,并降低了体弱老年人的生活质量。目前衰老研究的一个重大局限性是主要侧重于年轻和老年人群体之间的比较,往往忽略了健康老年人和经历病理性衰老的老年人之间的差异。我们的研究阐明了与年龄匹配的健康老年人相比,体弱老年人中 CD4/Treg 轴的复杂免疫动力学。通过利用来自外周血单核细胞 (PBMC) 的公开可用的 RNA 测序和单细胞 RNA 测序 (scRNAseq) 数据,我们确定了一个特定的 Treg 细胞亚群和转录景观,导致 CD4 T 细胞反应的失调。我们探讨了 Treg 功能障碍的分子机制,揭示了来自体弱老年人的 Tregs 表现出减少的线粒体蛋白水平,损害了线粒体氧化磷酸化。这种损伤是由 TNF/NF-κB 途径驱动的,导致累积性炎症。此外,我们通过预测基因扰动对细胞信号网络的影响,更深入地了解了 CD4/Treg 轴。这些发现共同强调了 CD4/Treg 轴中线粒体功能障碍与加速衰老和体弱之间的年龄相关关系。针对 Treg 功能障碍为制定针对体弱老年人的个体化治疗策略提供了重要基础,以提高其生活质量。
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