(credit: Wolfman-K)
The immune system of an adult is shaped by both genetic factors and every microbe we've ever been in contact with. The result is a unique set of things we can recognize, called an immunorepertoire. Environmental influences—things like infections and age—are thought to account for at least half of the differences in our individual immunorepertoires.
Since these nongenetic factors can, in theory, be manipulated more readily than genetic ones, it might be nice to know what they are and how precisely they impact our immune systems. A study published this week in Nature aims to look into just that.
Researchers looked at the different compositions of immune cell types in 638 healthy Caucasian Belgians ranging in age from two to 86. They found that different healthy people have a different complement of immune cells. Immature precursor cells are the most variable between individuals; while activated, mature cell types are more similar.
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