Abstract
The immune system undergoes major alterations during aging, many of which have been implicated in the increased morbidity and mortality associated with infection, as well as the high incidence of cancer in the elderly. Although mouse models have provided important insights into immunosenescence, there are certain facets of human immunological history that cannot be modeled in experimental animals. Here, we focus on the process of replicative senescence in human CD8 T-cells, which seems to be driven by the extensive and long-term cell proliferation required to control certain latent viral infections. Replicative senescence has been well-characterized in cell culture fand is now recognized as an underlying mechanism for shaping the memory T-cell pool in humans. This chapter will focus on the complex relationship between telomeres, telomerase and the T-cell costimulatory receptor, CD28, in modulating the process of CD8 T-cell replicative senescence and the impact of this process on aging and HIV disease.
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