Improved function and balance in T cell modulation by endothelial cells
in young people
Abstract
Elderly individuals exhibit unbalanced bone marrow (BM) effector T cell
subset differentiation, such as increased T helper (Th)-1 and T
cytotoxic (Tc)-1 cell frequencies, but the underlying mechanism still
unclear. Endothelial cells (ECs) , which are instructive components of
the BM microenvironment, exhibit the phenotype of semi-professional
antigen-presenting cells and regulate T cell recruitment and activation.
Thus, we compared the frequency and function of BM ECs, especially their
capacity to regulate effector T cell subsets, between young and old
healthy individuals, and explored the underlying mechanism of this
immunomodulatory discrepancy. Although the young and old EC percentages
were comparable, young ECs showed less reactive oxygen species and
better migratory and tube-forming abilities than old ECs. Notably, young
ECs regulated T cells to differentiate into fewer Th1 and Tc1 cells than
old ECs. Reduced T cell activation molecules and inflammatory cytokines
in young BM ECs may be the possible mechanism.