In:
Journal of Virology, American Society for Microbiology, Vol. 79, No. 6 ( 2005-03-15), p. 3675-3683
Abstract:
In spite of the present belief that latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection drives CD8 + T-cell differentiation and induces premature immune senescence, no systematic studies have so far been performed to compare phenotypical and functional changes in the CD8 + T-cell repertoire in CMV-infected and noninfected persons of different age groups. In the present study, number, cytokine production, and growth potential of naïve (CD45RA + CD28 + ), memory (CD45RA − CD28 + ), and effector (CD45RA + CD28 − or CD45RA − CD28 − ) CD8 + T cells were analyzed in young, middle-aged, and elderly clinically healthy persons with a positive or negative CMV antibody serology. Numbers and functional properties of CMVpp65 495-503 -specific CD8 + T cells were also studied. We demonstrate that aging as well as CMV infection lead to a decrease in the size of the naïve CD8 + T-cell pool but to an increase in the number of CD8 + effector T cells, which produce gamma interferon but lack substantial growth potential. The size of the CD8 + memory T-cell population, which grows well and produces interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4, also increases with aging, but this increase is missing in CMV carriers. Life-long latent CMV infection seems thus to diminish the size of the naïve and the early memory T-cell pool and to drive a Th1 polarization within the immune system. This can lead to a reduced diversity of CD8 responses and to chronic inflammatory processes which may be the basis of severe health problems in elderly persons.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0022-538X
,
1098-5514
DOI:
10.1128/JVI.79.6.3675-3683.2005
Language:
English
Publisher:
American Society for Microbiology
Publication Date:
2005
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1495529-5
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