【Medical Q&A】How much do you know about T cells?

Author: Wang Juan Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University

Lv Xin, Deputy Chief Technician, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University

Reviewer: Zhang Lehai, Deputy Chief Technician, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University

In our body, there is a group of special immune cells called T lymphocytes, or T cells for short. They are composed of a group of heterogeneous lymphocytes with different functions, which differentiate and mature in the thymus. Mature T cells migrate out of the thymus and reside in the paracortical area of ​​lymph nodes and around the splenic white pulp arterioles in the peripheral blood and peripheral lymphatic tissues.

During infancy, when babies encounter many antigens for the first time, T cells mediate the clearance of pathogens of a variety of acute infections, form memory responses, and establish tolerance to harmless foreign antigens.

In adulthood, the T cell system is more stable, with fewer new infections and fewer memories. Throughout decades of adult life, T cells maintain homeostasis in tissues by controlling chronic infections, monitoring cancer cells, and maintaining proper immune regulation.

There is ample evidence that T cell function declines in older age, with a corresponding increase in susceptibility to infection, cancer, and autoimmunity.

In summary, the role of T cells is complex and multifaceted, and they work together through multiple mechanisms to maintain the health and immune balance of the human body.