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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #235121

Title: Effect of age on proteasomal activity of T cells and macrophages

Author
item REN, ZHIHONG - JM USDA HNRCA @ TUFTS
item Shang, Fu
item Meydani, Simin
item Wu, Dayong

Submitted to: Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/15/2008
Publication Date: 4/22/2009
Citation: Ren, Z., Shang, F., Meydani, S., Wu, D. 2009. Effect of age on proteasomal activity of T cells and macrophages. Journal of Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. 23:908.9.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: T cell function is impaired with aging. Proteasome activity in T cells is important for T cell activation and its activity in macrophages is required for processing antigens in order to be presented via class I major histocompatibility complex to CD8+ T cells. Since studies have demonstrated that proteasome activity decreases with aging in several tissues, we determined whether there is an age-related change in proteasome activity in T cells and macrophages. T cells and macrophages were isolated from young (4-6 mo) and old (24-26 mo) C57BL/6 mice. There was no significant age-related difference in proteasome activity in unstimulated T cells while the anti-CD3/CD28-stimulated T cells from old mice had lower proteasome activity compared to those from young mice. Proteasome activity in both young and old macrophages increased slightly 15 and 30 min after LPS stimulation, returned to basal level by 120 min, and significantly decreased by 24 h of stimulation. The lower proteasome activity in macrophages stimulated with LPS for 24 hrs was not due to a reduction in the amount of proteasome proteins suggesting a post-translational regulation. There was no difference between young and old mice in proteasome activity in either unstimulated or LPS-stimulated macrophages. These results demonstrate that there is an age-related decrease in proteasome activity in T cells, but not in macrophages. Further studies are needed to determine the relvance of these findings to the age-related decline in T cell function. Supported by USDA #58-1950-7-707 and HNRCA Pilot grant.