In an article in the prestigious journal Nature aging Researchers present a blueprint for improving the effectiveness of the immune system in older age
Researchers at the Faculty of Biology at the Technion present a unique mechanism in the aging of the immune system – and with it a blueprint for improving this system in old age. The study, published in the journal Nature aging, led by Dr. Noga Ron-Harel and doctoral student David Azuz.
The human immune system weakens with age, and one reason for this is that T cells, white blood cells responsible for identifying viruses and cancer cells and destroying them, gradually lose their effectiveness.
Technion researchers discovered that a key factor in this process is the aging of the spleen. The spleen is a key organ in the immune system. Along with being the main storage site for white blood cells, the spleen contains a dedicated area for breaking down damaged red blood cells and recycling iron-rich components from these blood cells. This essential process loses its effectiveness as a person ages, resulting in the accumulation of iron deposits and toxic byproducts in the spleen, creating an oxidative environment that damages T cells. The researchers discovered that even brief exposure of young T cells to an "aging spleen" impairs their immune effectiveness.
In response to this toxic environment, and to protect themselves, T cells avoid absorbing iron and store the iron present in the cell in protein structures that reduce its availability. This essential process has a downside: since available iron is an essential component for the activation of these cells, their ability to respond is significantly weakened.
The researchers were not satisfied with these findings, but formulated a solution to the weakening of the immune system: controlled iron infusion. In experiments on old mice, it was found that this intervention improved the activity of the senescent cells during activation, and increased the response of old mice to the vaccine.
The study was supported by the European Research Commission (ERC under Horizon 2020).
for the article in the journal Nature aging – Click HERE
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