T cell aging: naive but not young

J Nikolich-Zugich - The Journal of experimental medicine, 2005 - rupress.org
The Journal of experimental medicine, 2005rupress.org
The immune system exhibits profound age-related changes, collectively termed
immunosenescence. The most visible of these is the decline in protective immunity, which
results from a complex interaction of primary immune defects and compensatory
homeostatic mechanisms. The sum of these changes is a dysregulation of many processes
that normally ensure optimal immune function. Recent advances suggest that old mice can
produce fully functional new T cells, opening both intriguing inquiry avenues and raising …
The immune system exhibits profound age-related changes, collectively termed immunosenescence. The most visible of these is the decline in protective immunity, which results from a complex interaction of primary immune defects and compensatory homeostatic mechanisms. The sum of these changes is a dysregulation of many processes that normally ensure optimal immune function. Recent advances suggest that old mice can produce fully functional new T cells, opening both intriguing inquiry avenues and raising critical questions to be pursued.
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