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Age-Related Alterations in Regulatory T Cells

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Immunology of Aging

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Abstract

Age-associated impaired function of the immune system seems to be a major contributory factor to the increased frequency of morbidity and mortality. Ageing affects different immune cell types, including hematopoietic stem cells, lymphoid progenitors in the bone marrow and thymus, thymic stromal cells, mature lymphocytes in secondary lymphoid organs, and elements of the innate immune system. Importantly, significant alterations are seen in the T lymphocyte compartment. Age-related alterations are evident in all stages of the T cell development making them a significant element in immunosenescence. Recent studies showed that T regulatory cells, a subset of CD4+ T cells with immunoregulatory activities, are also affected by ageing. The age-related alterations of Tregs, mechanisms underlying Treg homeostasis, and functions in ageing are described in this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Amir Hossein Massoud PhD

  2. Meakins-Christie Laboratories, McGill University, Montreal, QC, H2X-2P2, Canada

    Amir Hossein Massoud PhD

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  1. Amir Hossein Massoud PhD
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Correspondence to Amir Hossein Massoud PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences School of Medicine, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Massoud

  2. Children's Medical Center Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences Research Center for Immunodeficiencies, Tehran, Iran

    Nima Rezaei

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Massoud, A.H. (2014). Age-Related Alterations in Regulatory T Cells. In: Massoud, A., Rezaei, N. (eds) Immunology of Aging. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39495-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-39495-9_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-39494-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-39495-9

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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