Wednesday, September 28, 2022

T Cells Ward Off Aging with Help from Their Friends

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"... an interaction between T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs) early in the immune response to viruses may determine how fast T cells decline. ...
The new study finds that after infection, APCs, the cells that initially kickstart T cells’ immune response by presenting them with a foreign antigen, chop off and deliver their telomeres to T cells, the white blood cells that fight viruses. ...
The researchers found that when APCSs deliver their telomeres to T cells, the latter shift into stem cell-like configuration, which delays their senescence. The researchers also found that this interaction boosts long-term immunity in mice ..."

From the abstract:
"The common view is that T lymphocytes activate telomerase to delay senescence. Here we show that some T cells (primarily naïve and central memory cells) elongated telomeres by acquiring telomere vesicles from antigen-presenting cells (APCs) independently of telomerase action. Upon contact with these T cells, APCs degraded shelterin to donate telomeres, which were cleaved by the telomere trimming factor TZAP, and then transferred in extracellular vesicles at the immunological synapse. Telomere vesicles retained the Rad51 recombination factor that enabled telomere fusion with T-cell chromosome ends lengthening them by an average of ~3,000 base pairs. Thus, there are antigen-specific populations of T cells whose ageing fate decisions are based on telomere vesicle transfer upon initial contact with APCs. These telomere-acquiring T cells are protected from senescence before clonal division begins, conferring long-lasting immune protection."

T Cells Ward Off Aging with Help from Their Friends | The Scientist Magazine® Immune cells deliver packages of telomeres to T cells, helping them retain their virus-fighting function over time, research suggests.




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