Volume 12, Issue 1 342598 pp. 75-84
Article
Open Access

Age-related Changes in p56lck Protein Levels and Phenotypic Distribution of T Lymphocytes in Young Rats

Heather J. Hosea

Heather J. Hosea

Departments of Human Nutritional Sciences University of Manitoba 190 Dysart Road Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada , umanitoba.ca

Search for more papers by this author
Edward S. Rector

Edward S. Rector

Department of Immunology University of Manitoba Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W3, Canada , umanitoba.ca

Search for more papers by this author
Carla G. Taylor

Carla G. Taylor

Departments of Human Nutritional Sciences University of Manitoba 190 Dysart Road Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada , umanitoba.ca

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 01 January 2005
Citations: 3

Abstract

p56lck is involved in the maturation of T-cells from double negative (DN) into double positive (DP) T-cells. The objective of this experiment was to determine changes in the levels of thymic and splenic T-cell p56lck using Western immunoblotting, along with the proportion and number of T-cell subsets in thymus, spleen and blood using flow cytometry in growing Sprague-Dawley rats. Thymic p56lck levels were negatively correlated with age (r=-0.42, p=0.04) and positively correlated with age in the spleen (r=0.50, p=0.01). Nine-week-old rats had a higher percentage of thymic DN and CD8 cells with fewer DP cells compared to younger rats. There were minor differences in the proportions of T-cell subsets in the spleen and blood. T-cell numbers remained proportional to body weight in the lymphoid organs; however, the lower absolute number of T-cells in the younger rats might indicate that they are less able to respond to antigens.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.