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, published in Nature Immunology, 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.
Links
- Watch the video: Sestrins, Immunity and Aging (YouTube)
- Read the paper: A sestrin-dependent Erk-Jnk-p38 MAPK activation complex inhibits immunity during aging (Nature Immunology)
- BBRSC press release
- Profile: Professor Arne Akbar
Image
Human T cells showing nuclei (Credit: A. Walker, L. Sharp & J. Pryde. CC BY. Cropped from original)
