A Cell for the Ages: Human γδ T Cells across the Lifespan.

The complexity of the human immune system is exacerbated by age-related changes to immune cell functionality. Many of these age-related effects remain undescribed or driven by mechanisms that are poorly understood. γδ T cells, while considered an adaptive subset based on immunological ontogeny, retain both innate-like and adaptive-like characteristics. This T cell population is small but mighty, and has been implicated in both homeostatic and disease-induced immunity within tissues and throughout the periphery. In this review, we outline what is known about the effect of age on human peripheral γδ T cells, and call attention to areas of the field where further research is needed.

免疫细胞功能随年龄发生的变化加剧了人类免疫系统的复杂性。许多这些与年龄相关的影响尚未被描述，或者是由人们知之甚少的机制所驱动。γδ T细胞虽然基于免疫个体发生被视为一个适应性亚群，但同时保留了先天性和适应性的特征。这种T细胞数量虽少但作用强大，并且与组织内以及全身的稳态免疫和疾病诱导的免疫都有关联。在这篇综述中，我们概述了已知的年龄对人外周γδ T细胞的影响，并提请关注该领域中需要进一步研究的方面。