Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 6 B383-B390, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America
Altered switch in lipid composition during T-cell blast transformation in the healthy elderly
TM Stulnig, E Buhler, G Bock, C Kirchebner, D Schonitzer and G Wick
Institute for General and Experimental Pathology, University of Innsbruck, Austria.
Decreased mitogen responsiveness of lymphocytes during aging correlates
inversely with membrane microviscosity, which reflects an altered lipid
composition. Therefore, we addressed the question, whether age-related
alterations of lipid metabolism affect the switch in lipid composition
during formation of blasts. Membrane lipids and fatty acids of peripheral
blood lymphocytes from SENIEUR protocol compatible ("healthy") elderly
donors (66-77 yr) and young controls (18-30 yr) were quantified after
incubation with or without the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin. The blastic
change in membrane lipid composition was different for young controls with
respect to cholesterol, phosphatidylethanolamine, total phospholipids, as
well as several fatty acids. Moreover, the age-related alterations in the
switch of membrane lipids and fatty acids were significantly correlated
with a decreased mitogen response. Thus, the alterations in membrane
reorganization during blast formation of lymphocytes from the elderly point
to a disturbed cellular lipid homeostasis with possible impact on the age-
related reduction in immune function.
