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Immunoheterogeneity and immunosenescence in a wild sheep population| old_uid | 9718 |
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| title | Immunoheterogeneity and immunosenescence in a wild sheep population |
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| start_date | 2011/02/25 |
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| schedule | 11h30 |
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| online | no |
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| summary | Even in controlled lab settings, individuals vary considerably in immune parameters
and there is plenty of evidence that this variation is under genetic control. Our
understanding how natural selection has shaped this variation in natural systems is
limited. Furthermore, the immune system undergoes a complex functional decline
with age (immunosenescence) in humans and laboratory rodents, but little is known
about whether immunosenescence occurs or has meaningful demographic or
fitness consequences in natural populations.
I will discuss recent work on a wild Soay sheep population investigating individual
and genetic variation in circulating antibody levels in plasma and the association of
these immune parameters with fitness in a variable environment.
I will also present some new pilot research from the same system, suggesting
declines with age in some of the same immune parameters that are often used to
investigate immunosenescence in humans and lab mice. |
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| responsibles | Mouquet, Ravigné |
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