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Immunity & Ageing
Published in: Immunity & Ageing 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research

Efforts of the human immune system to maintain the peripheral CD8+ T cell compartment after childhood thymectomy

Authors: Manuela Zlamy, Giovanni Almanzar, Walther Parson, Christian Schmidt, Johannes Leierer, Birgit Weinberger, Verena Jeller, Karin Unsinn, Matthias Eyrich, Reinhard Würzner, Martina Prelog

Published in: Immunity & Ageing | Issue 1/2016

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Abstract

Background

Homeostatic mechanisms to maintain the T cell compartment diversity indicate an ongoing process of thymic activity and peripheral T cell renewal during human life. These processes are expected to be accelerated after childhood thymectomy and by the influence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) inducing a prematurely aged immune system.
The study aimed to investigate proportional changes and replicative history of CD8+ T cells, of recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) and CD103+ T cells (mostly gut-experienced) and the role of Interleukin-(IL)-7 and IL-7 receptor (CD127)-expressing T cells in thymectomized patients compared to young and old healthy controls.

Results

Decreased proportions of naive and CD31 + CD8+ T cells were demonstrated after thymectomy, with higher proliferative activity of CD127-expressing T cells and significantly shorter relative telomere lengths (RTLs) and lower T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs). Increased circulating CD103+ T cells and a skewed T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire were found after thymectomy similar to elderly persons. Naive T cells were influenced by age at thymectomy and further decreased by CMV.

Conclusions

After childhood thymectomy, the immune system demonstrated constant efforts of the peripheral CD8+ T cell compartment to maintain homeostasis. Supposedly it tries to fill the void of RTEs by peripheral T cell proliferation, by at least partly IL-7-mediated mechanisms and by proportional increase of circulating CD103+ T cells, reminiscent of immune aging in elderly. Although other findings were less significant compared to healthy elderly, early thymectomy demonstrated immunological alterations of CD8+ T cells which mimic features of premature immunosenescence in humans.
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Metadata
Title
Efforts of the human immune system to maintain the peripheral CD8+ T cell compartment after childhood thymectomy
Authors
Manuela Zlamy
Giovanni Almanzar
Walther Parson
Christian Schmidt
Johannes Leierer
Birgit Weinberger
Verena Jeller
Karin Unsinn
Matthias Eyrich
Reinhard Würzner
Martina Prelog
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Immunity & Ageing / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1742-4933
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12979-016-0058-z

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