Age-dependent changes in T cell homeostasis and SIV load in sooty mangabeys |
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Authors: | Lisa A. Chakrabarti,Sharon R. Lewin,Linqi Zhang,Agegnehu Gettie,Amara Luckay,Louis N. Martin,Eva Skulsky,David D. Ho,Cecilia Cheng-Mayer,& Preston A. Marx |
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Affiliation: | Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA,;Tulane Regional Primate Research Center, Tulane University Medical Center, Covington, LA, USA,;Department of Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA |
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Abstract: | Sooty mangabeys ( Cercocebus atys ) showed age-dependent changes in T cell regeneration. Younger animals had a high percentage of CD4+ CD45RA+ T cells and a high concentration of T cell receptor excisional circles (TRECs) in peripheral blood, which indicated active thymopoiesis. In contrast, older animals had an increased T cell turnover, which suggested that most T cell production occurred in the periphery. In addition, the number of peripheral CD4+ T cells naturally decreased with age. Non-pathogenic SIVsm infection did not significantly change the T cell proliferation rate or the TREC concentration, though it did cause a moderate loss of peripheral CD4+ T cells. The viral load correlated negatively with age, which could be accounted for by the reduced availability of CD4+ target cells in older mangabeys. Thus, the number of susceptible target cells may be a limiting factor in natural SIV infection. |
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Keywords: | CD4+ T cell Cercocebus atys rhesus macaque simian immunodeficiency virus T cell turnover |
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