Scientists have found an unusually high number of a rare type of CD4 T-lymphocytes in the blood of Japanese people aged 110 and older. These cells are capable not only of recognizing a potential threat but also of directly destroying it, according to a report in the journal Cell Reports.
The study was conducted by a group of scientists led by Kosuke Hashimoto from Osaka University. It involved 28 elderly Japanese individuals, divided into three age groups: 70 to 99 years, 100 to 109 years, and 110 years and older.
Typically, T-cells are divided into helper cells, which coordinate the immune response, and killer cells, capable of destroying, in particular, cancer cells. In supercentenarians, researchers found significantly more cells that combine the properties of both groups.
In people aged 110 and older, such cells accounted for about 20% of all T-lymphocytes, whereas in less elderly participants in the study, they made up approximately 4%. Thus, their proportion in the blood of supercentenarians was about five times higher.
Scientists also found that many of these T-cells form large groups of almost identical cells. This may indicate that over many years they have repeatedly encountered the same threats to the body.
Of particular interest was the similarity of the molecular receptors of these cells to the receptors of T-cells found in people with oncological diseases. Researchers suggest that such a feature could potentially help the immune system recognize tumor cells even before the disease becomes clinically apparent.
However, scientists emphasize: the study does not prove that these specific T-cells ensure superlongevity. It only shows that in very elderly people, the immune system may not simply weaken gradually but can undergo significant restructuring.
According to the researchers, the results help to look at the aging of the immune system in a new way: in some people, even at a very advanced age, it can maintain high activity and adapt to new threats.
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