Supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Wellcome Trust, the study explored whether it is possible to reverse age-associated decline in immune function by inhibiting protein molecules, known as sestrins, which act upstream of p38 activation in T lymphocytes.

The study found that sestrins have pro-ageing activities in T lymphocytes, identifying a sestrin-dependent MAPK activation complex (sMAC) in which sestrins simultaneously coordinate the activation of ERK and JNK. Disruption of this complex in older humans revealed an enhanced function of T lymphocytes, and in older mice it enhanced responsiveness to influenza vaccination.

The Akbar Lab produced a video discussing the paper in Nature Immunology on the role of sestrins in immunity and ageing.

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