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Handbook on Immunosenescence pp 131–144Cite as

A Transgenic Dwarf Rat Strain as a Tool for the Study of Immunosenescence in Aging Rats and the Effect of Calorie Restriction

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Abstract

Immunosenescence or dysregulation of the immune system may accelerate the aging process and shorten the lifespan in animals. Calorie restriction, a well-known nutritional intervention for longevity in laboratory animals, retards immunosenescence and modulates the immunosystem. These effects of CR could contribute partly to extending the lifespan. A transgenic (Tg) dwarf rat strain, in which the growth hormone (GH) axis is selectively suppressed, lived longer and exhibited several phenotypes similar to those in CR rats, suggesting an important role for the GH axis in the effect of CR. Here, we describe the longevity, pathology, thymic and splenic lymphocyte subpopulations and response to endotoxin in Tg rats in comparison with CR rats. The findings support the importance of the GH axis in the effect of CR on the immune system and, in particular, longevity. The Tg rats could be a useful tool to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the antiaging effect of CR.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Investigative Pathology, Unit of Basic Medical Science, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 12-4 Sakamoto I-chome, 852-8523, Nagasaki City, Japan

    Isao Shimokawa, Toshimitsu Komatsu, Haruyoshi Yamaza & Takuya Chiba

  2. Department of Pathology and Immunology Aging and Developmental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School, Tokyo

    Masanori Utsuyama

Authors
  1. Isao Shimokawa
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  2. Masanori Utsuyama
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  3. Toshimitsu Komatsu
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  4. Haruyoshi Yamaza
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  5. Takuya Chiba
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center on Aging, Department of Medicine, Immunology Graduate Programme, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, 1036 Rue Belvedere, J1H 4C4, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada

    Tamas Fulop

  2. Department of Experimental Pathalogy, CIG Interdepartmental Center “L. Galvani” University of Bologna, Via San Giacomo 12, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    Claudio Franceschi

  3. Institute for Health and Life Sciences, 4-6-22 Kohinato, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 112-0006, Japan

    Katsuiku Hirokawa

  4. ZMF - Zentrum Med. Forschung Abt. Transplant./ Immunologie, University of Tübingen, Waldhörnlestr. 22, 72072, Tübingen, Germany

    Graham Pawelec

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Shimokawa, I., Utsuyama, M., Komatsu, T., Yamaza, H., Chiba, T. (2009). A Transgenic Dwarf Rat Strain as a Tool for the Study of Immunosenescence in Aging Rats and the Effect of Calorie Restriction. In: Fulop, T., Franceschi, C., Hirokawa, K., Pawelec, G. (eds) Handbook on Immunosenescence. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9063-9_7

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