The influence of the microbiota on immune development, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the context of aging

Authors:

Taylor N. Tibbs1,#, Lacey R. Lopez1,#, and Janelle C. Arthur1,2,3

doi: 10.15698/mic2019.08.685
Volume 6, pp. 324 to 334, published 13/05/2019.

PDF Download PubMed Link
Affiliations:

1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.

2 Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.

3 Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.

# Both first authors contributed equally to this chapter.

Keywords: 

microbiota, aging, chronic inflammation, cancer, immune development, immune maturation, microbiome, immunosenescence.

Corresponding Author(s):

Janelle C. Arthur, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 125 Mason Farm Rd CB#7290 Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599, USA, 919-966-2206; janelle_arthur@med.unc.edu

Conflict of interest statement:

We report no conflict of interest.

Please cite this article as:

Taylor N. Tibbs, Lacey R. Lopez, and Janelle C. Arthur (2019). The influence of the microbiota on immune development, chronic inflammation, and cancer in the context of aging. Microbial Cell 6(8): 324-334. doi: 10.15698/mic2019.08.685

© 2019 Tibbs et al. This is an open-access article released under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows the unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduc-tion in any medium, provided the original author and source are acknowledged.

Abstract:

From birth, the microbiota plays an essential role in human development by educating host immune responses. Proper maturation of the immune system perturbs chronic inflammation and the pathogenesis of disease by preventing inappropriate immune responses. While many have detailed the roles of specific microbial groups in immune development and human disease, it remains to be elucidated how the microbiota influences the immune system during aging. Furthermore, it is not yet understood how age-related changes to the microbiota and immune system influence the development of age-related diseases. In this review, we outline the role of the microbiota in immune system development as well as functional changes that occur to immune cell populations during immunosenescence. In addition, we highlight how commensal microbes influence the pathogenesis of cancer, a prominent disease of aging. The information provided herein suggests that age-related changes to the microbiota and immune system should be considered in disease treatment and prevention strategies.