Vitamin E and Gene Expression in Immune Cells

Abstract: Aging is associated with dysregulation of immune cells, particularly T cells. Previous studies indicated that vitamin E improves T cell function, in part by a direct effect on T cells. We studied gene expression profile of T cells to better understand the underlying mechanisms of aging‐ and vitamin E‐induced changes in T cell function. Young and old C57BL mice were fed diets containing 30 (control) or 500 (E) ppm of vitamin E for 4 weeks. T cells were purified from splenocytes by negative selection using magnetic beads (anti‐Mac‐1 and anti‐MHC class II), then cultured with media or stimulated with anti‐CD3 and anti‐CD28. Gene expression profile was assessed using microarray analysis. Genes showing more than two‐fold changes, P < 0.05 by ANOVA, and with at least one present call were selected. Aging had significant effects on genes involved in signal transduction, transcriptional regulation, and apoptosis pathways in T cells, while vitamin E had a significant effect on genes associated with the regulation of cell cycle.

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