Aging and lymphokine production by t cell subsets

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Abstract
From sexual maturity to old age, the mammalian immune system undergoes progressive changes, some of which may predispose individuals to infectious, neoplastic and degenerative diseases. These age‐associated changes are prominent in the T lymphocyte compartment and encompass both the CD4+ and CD8+ T cell sub‐populations. In this review, we focus on the mouse model system and summarize current information on the existence of functionally distinct subsets within each of the CD4+ and CD8+ cell subpopu‐lations. We describe how the representation of these subsets is altered during the aging process, with consequent changes in the lymphokine production repertoires and other functional attributes of the T cell pool. Lastly, we present evidence showing that similar changes occur in aging humans and discuss the potential impact of these changes on immune responsiveness in late life.