This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: JVI.01262-06v1 81/14/7759    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Pourgheysari, B. Articles by Moss, P. A. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Pourgheysari, B. Articles by Moss, P. A. H.

The Cytomegalovirus-Specific CD4⁺ T-Cell Response Expands with Age and Markedly Alters the CD4⁺ T-Cell Repertoire

C.R. U.K. Institute for Cancer Studies, Vincent Drive, Edgbaston, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TA, United Kingdom,¹ Division of Immunology, School of Infection & Host Defence, Duncan Building, Daulby Street, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GA, United Kingdom,² Department of Applied Gerontology, Selly Oak, Birmingham, United Kingdom³

Received 15 June 2006/ Accepted 26 March 2007

Immune function in the elderly is associated with a number of phenotypic and functional abnormalities, and this phenomenon of immune senescence is associated with increased susceptibility to infection. The immune response to pathogens frequently declines with age, but the CD8⁺ T-cell response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) is unusual, as it demonstrates a significant expansion over time. Here we have documented the CD4⁺ T-cell immune response to CMV in healthy donors of different ages. The magnitude of the CMV-specific CD4⁺ T-cell immune response increases from a mean of 2.2% of the CD4⁺ T-cell pool in donors below 50 years of age to 4.7% in donors aged over 65 years. In addition, CMV-specific CD4⁺ T cells in elderly donors demonstrate decreased production of interleukin-2 and less dependence on costimulation. CMV seropositivity is associated with marked changes in the phenotype of the overall CD4⁺ T-cell repertoire in healthy aged donors, including an increase in CD57⁺ expression and a decrease in CD28 and CD27 expression, a phenotypic profile characteristic of immune senescence. This memory inflation of CMV-specific CD4⁺ T cells contributes to evidence that CMV infection may be damaging to immune function in elderly individuals.

Published ahead of print on 4 April 2007.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Vescovini, R., Biasini, C., Fagnoni, F. F., Telera, A. R., Zanlari, L., Pedrazzoni, M., Bucci, L., Monti, D., Medici, M. C., Chezzi, C., Franceschi, C., Sansoni, P. (2007). Massive Load of Functional Effector CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells against Cytomegalovirus in Very Old Subjects. J. Immunol. 179: 4283-4291 [Abstract] [Full Text]