Immune function decreases with age, leading to increased risk of infectious disease. The authors show that N-glycan branching increases with age in females more than in males as a result of a sex-dimorphic increase in N-acetylglucosamine and interleukin-7 signaling. Reversing elevated branching reduced infection severity in aged female mice.
- Haik Mkhikian
- Ken L. Hayama
- Michael Demetriou