Large-Scale and Comprehensive Immune Profiling and Functional Analysis of Normal Human Aging

PLoS One. 2015 Jul 21;10(7):e0133627. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133627. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

While many age-associated immune changes have been reported, a comprehensive set of metrics of immune aging is lacking. Here we report data from 243 healthy adults aged 40-97, for whom we measured clinical and functional parameters, serum cytokines, cytokines and gene expression in stimulated and unstimulated PBMC, PBMC phenotypes, and cytokine-stimulated pSTAT signaling in whole blood. Although highly heterogeneous across individuals, many of these assays revealed trends by age, sex, and CMV status, to greater or lesser degrees. Age, then sex and CMV status, showed the greatest impact on the immune system, as measured by the percentage of assay readouts with significant differences. An elastic net regression model could optimally predict age with 14 analytes from different assays. This reinforces the importance of multivariate analysis for defining a healthy immune system. These data provide a reference for others measuring immune parameters in older people.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aging*
  • Area Under Curve
  • California
  • Chemokine CCL7 / metabolism
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Humans
  • Immune System / physiology*
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / cytology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Nitrogen / chemistry
  • Phenotype
  • Regression Analysis
  • Signal Transduction
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Urea / chemistry

Substances

  • CCL7 protein, human
  • Chemokine CCL7
  • Cytokines
  • Urea
  • Nitrogen