Researchers report that T cells, key components of the immune response, isolated from aged mice displayed smaller mitochondria than T cells from young mice, as well as correspondingly diminished respiratory capacity and metabolic deficiency; survival and growth of T cells from aged mice was boosted by providing the metabolic products formate and glycine, suggesting that pinpointing deficiencies associated with impaired activation may help identify ways to boost immune reponses in aged individuals.
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Article #18-04149: "Defective respiration and one-carbon metabolism contribute to impaired naïve T cell activation in aged mice," by Noga Ron-Harel et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Marcia C. Haigis, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; tel: 617-432-6865; e-mail: marcia_haigis@hms.harvard.edu
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences