RIKEN: Special cells over 110 years old: Presence of CD4-positive killer T cells
RIKEN / Keio University
A joint research group between RIKEN Biomedical Science Research Center and Keio University states that “Supercentives (110 years old and over) have a lot of special T cells and“ CD4-positive killer T cells ”in the blood”.
Immune cells: Analysis at the single cell level
The joint research group directly collected blood from 7 super sentinarians (super longevity who reached 110 years old) and 5 people aged 50 to 80 years, and analyzed the immune cells flowing in the blood at the single cell level .
Analysis result:
In super sentinarians, the composition of T cells (the role of the immune system control tower) has changed significantly compared to 50-80 years old.
Among them, a high percentage of “CD4-positive killer T cells, which are usually present only in small amounts,” were present.
Furthermore, when the T cell receptor was examined, it was found that “clonal proliferation (the number of T cells having a specific receptor increased)”.
By elucidating the relationship between immunity and aging / longevity, we can expect to “prevent aging of immunity and contribute to extending the healthy life expectancy”.
This research will be published in the online edition of the American scientific magazine “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)” (November 12th, November 13th).
RIKEN