Signal inhibition by the dual-specific phosphatase 4 impairs T cell-dependent B-cell responses with age

摘要

The immune system must undergo constant self-renewal, a process made more difficult with age. In particular, the source for T-cell regeneration, the thymus, already begins shrinking in early adulthood (1, 2). In adults and especially the elderly, therefore, new T cells are mostly generated by proliferation of the existing pool. In parallel, T cells are under continuous stress through encountering new infections or controlling persistent and latent infections (3).