Tag: T Cells

A new study has suggested that T cells might retain a pro-inflammatory phenotype long after normal weight is regained following a period of obesity. In mice, the effect lasts for weeks, while its existence and duration in humans are to be determined [1]. The inflammation that stays Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition linked to...

Scientists have found that the ratio between poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids affects the viability of T cells as well as both humoral and anti-tumor immunity [1]. The iron death Some fats are broadly recognized as healthy while others are considered unhealthy, but the reality might be more complicated than that. Poly- and monounsaturated fats...

Scientists have discovered that a cytotoxic subtype of CD4 T cells, which is enriched in old people, helps control cellular senescence. This hints at a new type of anti-senescence strategy but also suggests that an immune system can be “overly youthful.” When generals become fighters CD4 T cells usually behave as “generals”, directing immune attacks...

Researchers have discovered that butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid with well-documented gut benefits, fights senescence in T cells. Immune senescence drives inflammaging Cellular SenescenceAs your body ages, more of your cells become senescent. Senescent cells do not divide or support the tissues of which they are part; instead, they emit potentially harmful chemical signals, collectively...

Researchers publishing in Aging Cell have found that the efficiency of autophagy, a cellular maintenance process, increases rather than decreases in some T cells derived from healthy older people. Keeping cells healthy Disabled MacroautophagyIn autophagy, damaged proteins and organelles are wrapped in a double-membraned autophagosome structure. These sacs then join with lysosomes, which act like...

Scientists from the Lifespan Research Institute have discovered that a subset of T cells effectively targets senescent cells and improves outcomes in a mouse model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis [1]. How do we harness the immune system against senescence? Cellular senescence, which occurs when cells subjected to stress stop dividing and start emitting pro-inflammatory signals,...