TY - JOUR AU - Fukushima, Yuji AU - Minato, Nagahiro AU - Hattori, Masakazu PY - 2018 DA - 2018/12/24 TI - The impact of senescence-associated T cells on immunosenescence and age-related disorders JO - Inflammation and Regeneration SP - 24 VL - 38 IS - 1 AB - Immunosenescence is age-associated changes in the immunological functions, including diminished acquired immunity against infection, pro-inflammatory traits, and increased risk of autoimmunity. The proportions of memory-phenotype T cells in the peripheral T cell population steadily increase with age, but the relationship between this change and immunosenescent phenotypes remains elusive. Recently, we identified a minor memory-phenotype CD4+ T cell subpopulation that constitutively expressed PD-1 and CD153 as a bona fide age-dependent T cell population; we termed these cells senescence-associated T (SA-T) cells. SA-T cells exhibit characteristic features of cellular senescence, with defective T cell receptor-mediated proliferation and T cell cytokine production. However, upon T cell receptor stimulation, SA-T cells secrete abundant atypical pro-inflammatory cytokines such as osteopontin and chemokines, reminiscent of the SA-secretory phenotype. In addition to aging, SA-T cells accumulate and cause persistent inflammation in tissues following a wide range of insults including immune complex deposition, metabolic stresses, vascular damages, and tumors. In this review, we summarize the recent understanding of immunosenescence with particular focus on SA-T cells and their role in various age-related disorders. SN - 1880-8190 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s41232-018-0082-9 DO - 10.1186/s41232-018-0082-9 ID - Fukushima2018 ER -