Abstract
BackgroundCD4+ and CD8+ T cells reside in the human bone marrow (BM) and show a heightened activation state. However, only small sample sizes are available from sources such as the iliac crest. Larger samples can be obtained from the femur in the course of hip replacement surgery. It was therefore the goal of the present study to compare the phenotype and function of BM T cells from different sources from elderly persons and to investigate how femur derived bone marrow T cells can serve as a tool to gain a better understanding of the role of adaptive immune cells in the BM in old age.ResultsBone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) were isolated from either the iliac crest or the femur shaft. As expected the yield of mononuclear cells was higher from femur than from iliac crest samples. There were no phenotypic differences between BMMC from the two sources. Compared to PBMC, both BM sample types contained fewer naïve and more antigen experienced CD4+ as well as CD8+ T cells, which, in contrast to peripheral cells, expressed CD69. Cytokine production was also similar in T cells from both BM types. Larger sample sizes allowed the generation of T cell lines from femur derived bone marrow using non-specific as well as specific stimulation. The phenotype of T cell lines generated by stimulation with OKT-3 and IL-2 for two weeks was very similar to the one of ex vivo BM derived T cells. Such lines can be used for studies on the interaction of different types of BM cells as shown by co-culture experiments with BM derived stromal cells. Using CMVNLV specific T cell lines we additionally demonstrated that BM samples from the femur are suitable for the generation of antigen specific T cell lines, which can be used in studies on the clonal composition of antigen specific BM T cells.ConclusionIn conclusion, our results demonstrate that BMMC from the femur shaft are a useful tool for studies on the role of T cells in the BM in old age.
Highlights
CD4+ and CD8+ T cells reside in the human bone marrow (BM) and show a heightened activation state
Our results show that the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the BM is maintained during aging and that these cells are in a heightened activation state
BM samples obtained from healthy donors by aspiration, e.g. for bone marrow transplantation frequently contain large numbers of peripheral mononuclear cells [5], which makes them unsuitable for studies in which e.g. T cell composition in the bone marrow is analyzed in direct comparison to peripheral blood
Summary
CD4+ and CD8+ T cells reside in the human bone marrow (BM) and show a heightened activation state. Larger samples can be obtained from the femur in the course of hip replacement surgery It was the goal of the present study to compare the phenotype and function of BM T cells from different sources from elderly persons and to investigate how femur derived bone marrow T cells can serve as a tool to gain a better understanding of the role of adaptive immune cells in the BM in old age. In order to be suitable for studies on the physiology of the aging immune system the possibility that inflammatory processes and/or drugs could influence the composition and activation state of adaptive immune cells needs to be excluded It was the goal of our present study to compare the phenotype and function of BM T cells from the iliac crest and the femur shaft. We suggest approaches how BMMC from the femur can be used for studies on the role of BM T cells in old age
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