News release

From: Cell Press

Supercentenarians have an abundance of cancer-killing immune cells

The human immune system has specialized cells called CD4 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CD4 CTLs), which have been shown to kill tumor cells in some cancers. When a person gets sick, these cells multiply in a process called clonal expansion to help fight infection. In a study publishing in the Cell Press journal Cell Reports on August 19, researchers show that these immune cells also may play a role in healthy aging among supercentenarians.

“Immune aging is not simply a process of decline,” says first author Kosuke Hashimoto, an associate professor at the University of Osaka in Japan. “The selective expansion of certain T cells suggests that, even in extreme old age, the immune system may continue to adapt to age-related challenges.”

CD4 CTLs are a cellular signature of supercentenarians—people who live to age 110 and beyond. In this study, the researchers discovered that these cells expand and adapt within this older population.

“CD4 CTLs are an atypical and relatively rare T cell population,” Hashimoto says. “So, their marked increase in supercentenarians may provide important clues as to how the immune system is maintained in extreme old age.”

The researchers analyzed the blood samples of 28 adults who had been divided into three age groups: 70–99, 100–109, and 110 and older. The proportion of CD4 CTLs increased with age, with median percentages of 4%, 9.6%, and 17.6%, respectively.

While the results suggest CD4 CTL expansion begins around 100, this phenomenon was not unique to centenarians and supercentenarians; one participant younger than 100 had the highest proportion of these cells.

The team then looked at participants’ T cell receptors and determined that clonal expansion helps drive this increase. CD4 CTLs clone themselves when the immune system is under attack. In the study, the most prominent clone accounted for an average 33.3% of CD4 CTLs, indicating that older adults may be responding to persistent immune threats. In one centenarian’s blood sample, a single clone accounted for 53.8% of their CD4 CTLs.

Next, the researchers matched the receptor sequences of each participant’s top CD4 CTL clone to those in a public database. Nearly three dozen matches belonged to people with cancer—namely lung, breast, and liver cancers. Because none of the centenarians or supercentenarians studied had been diagnosed with these cancers, the researchers theorized that their CD4 CTL expansion may reflect early immune responses.

“Some CD4 CTLs may recognize cancer-related targets, although their exact targets remain unknown,” Hashimoto says.

The study, which focused on T cells circulating in the blood, does not prove that having an abundance of CD4 CTLs prevents cancer or causes a person to live longer. Hashimoto says the team’s next step is to research how these cells behave in human tissues.

“As we age, abnormal cells, including senescent and cancerous cells, become more common,” Hashimoto says. “Our findings suggest that immune adaptation to these changes may contribute to exceptional longevity.”