Age-Associated Decline in Effective Immune Synapse Formation of CD4 super(+) T Cells Is Reversed by Vitamin E Supplementation

• Published in: Journal of Immunology Vol. 178; no. 3; pp. 1443 - 1449
• Main Authors: Marko, Melissa G, Ahmed, Tanvir, Bunnell, Stephen C, Wu, Dayong, Chung, Heekyung, Huber, Brigitte T, Meydani, Simin Nikbin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.02.2007
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1365-2567

Aging is associated with reduced IL-2 production and T cell proliferation. Vitamin E supplementation, in aged animals and humans, increases cell division and IL-2 production by naive T cells. The immune synapse forms at the site of contact between a T cell and an APC and participates in T cell activation. We evaluated whether vitamin E affects the redistribution of signaling proteins to the immune synapse. Purified CD4 super(+) T cells, from the spleens of young and old mice, were treated with vitamin E before stimulation with a surrogate APC expressing anti-CD3. Using confocal fluorescent microscopy, we observed that CD4 super(+) T cells from old mice were significantly less likely to recruit signaling proteins to the immune synapse than cells from young mice. Vitamin E increased the percentage of old CD4 super(+) T cells capable of forming an effective immune synapse. Similar results were found following in vivo supplementation with vitamin E. When compared with memory cells, naive T cells from aged mice were more defective in immune synapse formation and were more responsive to vitamin E supplementation. These data show, for the first time, that vitamin E significantly improves age-related early T cell signaling events in naive CD4 super(+) T cells.