Age over 60 linked to lower B-cell receptor diversity
The observational study tracked 98 adults for 30 years, linking older age to greater dominance of particular receptor gene patterns.
Limit: Dominant B-cell groups partly accounted for the age association, which weakened after adjustment
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
An observational study followed 98 adults in the Netherlands, with equal numbers of men and women and a median starting age of 39, for 30 years. Researchers analyzed 548 blood samples collected at five-year intervals. They sequenced genes for part of B-cell receptors, surface proteins that recognize targets. B cells are immune cells that make antibodies.
Participants older than 60 had less diverse receptor gene patterns and greater dominance of individual patterns. Strong dominance was associated with lower diversity. After accounting for this dominance, the association between older age and lower diversity weakened and was no longer statistically significant. The authors concluded that increasingly dominant B-cell groups could partly account for the age-related decline in diversity.
Why it matters
The immune system loses function with age. The authors see tracking B-cell receptor patterns as groundwork for monitoring the emergence of dominant B-cell groups during aging.
Caveats
These observational results from one Dutch adult cohort do not establish why receptor patterns changed or whether they affected immune function. The preprint has not been peer-reviewed.
The paper
Longitudinal analysis of the B-cell receptor repertoire across 30 years of ageing
Department of Immunology
bioRxiv, Aug 22, 2026, Open access, CC BY-NC-ND, Preprint, not peer-reviewed
