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Introduction to Ageing of the Adaptive Immune System

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Immunosenescence

Abstract

Like other somatic tissues and organs, the vertebrate immune system manifests age-associated alterations to its components and their functions. Unlike in invertebrates, in addition to the innate arm, vertebrates also possess adaptive immunity mediated by both cellular and humoral components. This chapter reviews data on age-associated alterations to adaptive immunity specifically in humans, mostly originating from cross-sectional studies (i.e., comparing young with old people). We summarise what is known about the effects of age on the different components of the adaptive immune system, particularly T cells, which appear most obviously different in the elderly. We consider the serious limitations inherent in cross-sectional studies, and discuss the crucial requirement to perform longitudinal studies (i.e., following the same individuals over time). Despite the logistical and financial constraints, longitudinal follow-up has provided the most biologically meaningful information about which of the many biomarkers apparently changing with age are actually relevant to medical parameters and for late-life health and longevity, and which, in contrast, may change with age but without clinical relevance. Given the lack of consistent data currently available, as a result of performing studies on heterogeneous populations using different analytical techniques, we emphasize the necessity for more numerous, more extensive and more detailed studies including assessments of the impact of psychosocial, nutritional and other thus-far rarely considered parameters on immunological and other biomarkers in longitudinal studies.

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Acknowledgements

LM and GP cooperate in the BMBF-funded (01UW0808) Berlin Ageing Study II. GP was supported by the European Union-funded Network of Excellence LifeSpan (FP6 036894), the Large Integrated Project IDEAL (FP7 259679), the BMBF project GerontoShield, and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG-PA 361/14-1, DFG-PA 361/11-1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, Berlin, 14195, Germany

    Ludmila Müller

  2. Center for Medical Research, University of Tübingen, Waldhörnlestr. 22, 72072, Tübingen, Germany

    Graham Pawelec

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  1. Ludmila Müller
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  2. Graham Pawelec
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Correspondence to Graham Pawelec .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 237, Amsterdam, 1012 DL, Netherlands

    Jos A. Bosch

  2. University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom

    Anna C. Phillips

  3. University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, United Kingdom

    Janet M. Lord

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Müller, L., Pawelec, G. (2013). Introduction to Ageing of the Adaptive Immune System. In: Bosch, J., Phillips, A., Lord, J. (eds) Immunosenescence. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4776-4_2

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