Researchers at the Technion \u2013 Israel Institute of Technology Faculty of Biology have identified a unique mechanism involved in the aging of the immune system \u2013 along with a framework for enhancing its function in older individuals. The study, published in Nature Aging, was led by Assistant Professor Noga Ron-Harel and doctoral student David Ezuz.<\/p>\n
The human immune system weakens with age, partly because T cells<\/a> \u2013 white blood cells responsible for identifying and destroying viruses and cancer cells \u2013 gradually lose their effectiveness.<\/p>\n The Technion researchers discovered that a key factor in this process is the aging of the spleen, a vital organ in the immune system. In addition to serving as the body’s main reservoir of white blood cells, the spleen contains a specialized region responsible for breaking down defective red blood cells and recycling their iron-rich components. This essential process becomes less efficient with age, leading to the accumulation of iron deposits and toxic by-products in the spleen. These create an oxidative environment that damages T cells. The researchers found that even brief exposure of young T cells to an “aged spleen” impairs their immune effectiveness.<\/p>\n In response to this toxic environment, and in an effort to protect themselves, T cells reduce their iron uptake and sequester the iron already present within the cell in protein complexes that lower its availability. However, this protective mechanism has a downside: since available iron is essential for T-cell activation, their ability to respond is significantly weakened.<\/p>\n The researchers went beyond these findings and proposed a way to counter the decline in immune function \u2013 controlled iron supplementation at the time of T-cell activation. In experiments on elderly mice, this intervention improved the activation of aged T cells and enhanced the immune response of older mice to vaccination.<\/p>\n The research was supported by the European Research Council (ERC) under the Horizon 2020 program.<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n Technion-Israel Institute of Technology<\/a><\/p>\n Journal reference:<\/p>\n