Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences Large Type Edition
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Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences, Vol 50, Issue 6 B383-B390, Copyright © 1995 by The Gerontological Society of America


JOURNAL ARTICLE

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.





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