Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

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Nature Research, Nature Communications, 1(11), 2020

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16633-7

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Metabolic characteristics of CD8+ T cell subsets in young and aged individuals are not predictive of functionality

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Abstract

AbstractVirtual memory T (TVM) cells are antigen-naïve CD8+ T cells that exist in a semi-differentiated state and exhibit marked proliferative dysfunction in advanced age. High spare respiratory capacity (SRC) has been proposed as a defining metabolic characteristic of antigen-experienced memory T (TMEM) cells, facilitating rapid functionality and survival. Given the semi-differentiated state of TVM cells and their altered functionality with age, here we investigate TVM cell metabolism and its association with longevity and functionality. Elevated SRC is a feature of TVM, but not TMEM, cells and it increases with age in both subsets. The elevated SRC observed in aged mouse TVM cells and human CD8+ T cells from older individuals is associated with a heightened sensitivity to IL-15. We conclude that elevated SRC is a feature of TVM, but not TMEM, cells, is driven by physiological levels of IL-15, and is not indicative of enhanced functionality in CD8+ T cells.