B cells from aged mice exhibit reduced apoptosis upon B-cell antigen receptor stimulation and differential ability to up-regulate survival signals

MONTES, CAROLINA L; MALETTO, BELKYS; ACOSTA RODRIGUEZ EVA; GRUPPI, ADRIANA; PISTORESI PALENCIA, MARIA C

Blackwell Science

Lugar: Oxford; Año: 2006 vol. 143 p. 30 - 30

p class="abstract">During ageing, autoimmune disorders and the higher susceptibility to infectious have been associated with alterations in the humoral immune response. We report that splenic B lymphocytes from aged mice exhibit lower level of apoptosis induced by B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) ligation in vitro. Respect to B cells from young mice the anti-mu stimulated aged B cells show similar Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression but differential kinetic of A1 degradation and a higher level of cFLIP and FAIM. Even though B cells from aged mice show minor Fas expression they exhibit the same susceptibility to anti-Fas induced apoptosis. Aged B cells also present upon BCR stimulation, a higher proliferative response and similar level of activation markers expression than B cells from young mice. These data agree with the observation that aged mice exhibit an increment of T2 and mature B cell subset which rapidly enters cell cycle upon BCR engagement. The diminished apoptosis after activation in