Aging reshapes immune cells grown from mouse bone marrow
Lab experiments across four mouse age groups found weaker responses to inflammatory and anti-inflammatory signals, alongside varied changes in gene activity and cell behavior.
Limit: Metabolic shifts were inferred from gene activity rather than measured directly
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers compared macrophages, immune cells grown from mouse bone marrow, in lab experiments across four mouse age groups: 2–3, 6–8, 12–14 and 22–24 months. They exposed cells to signals promoting inflammatory or anti-inflammatory responses. Older cells responded less strongly to both kinds of signals.
Aging also altered the mix of immune signals cells released and the activity of genes regulating DNA packaging. A model based on gene activity suggested a shift toward activating and transporting fats and away from some chemical processes in mitochondria, the cells’ energy-producing structures. These changes differed between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cell states. Inflammatory-state cells from 12–14- and 22–24-month-old mice engulfed more tumor cells than those from 2–3-month-old mice. Older macrophages also moved less readily, while their ability to display material for other immune cells to recognize remained intact.
Why it matters
Macrophages participate in age-related conditions. The authors propose that understanding their changing roles provides a framework for addressing persistent inflammation associated with aging.
Caveats
The main findings came from mouse cells grown in the lab, and the metabolic shifts were inferred from gene activity rather than measured directly. The paper is a preprint and has not been peer-reviewed.
- Epigenetic regulation of gene expression
- Histone modification and chromatin remodeling
- Immune response
- Lipid and ceramide metabolism
- Oxidative phosphorylation
- Mitochondrion
The paper
Aging reprograms the functional, epigenetic, and metabolic landscape of macrophages
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Research Square, Jun 30, 2026, Open access, Preprint, not peer-reviewed
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