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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Immunol. 2019 Sep 19;345:103989. doi: 10.1016/j.cellimm.2019.103989

Figure 4. hTERT/Telomerase expression during T cell aging.

Figure 4.

With advance of age, there is a decrease in the number of circulating TN cells and increase in memory T cells (TCM and TEM) cells. In parallel, T cells have progressive telomere shortening and reduced induction of telomerase activity. Within T cell subsets, telomerase activity is significantly reduced in CD4+ TN and TCM cells from old individuals (70-90 years old) compared to young (20-40 years old). However, it has been shown that healthily aged centenarians have telomerase activity levels similar to much younger individuals.