The rise in prevalence of autoantibodies neutralizing type I interferons reaches a plateau in centenarians
Year: 2026
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: While autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I interferons (IFN-I) are relatively rare before the age of 65 (<1%), their prevalence reaches 2-3% between 70 and 80 years and >6% in individuals above 80 years in the general population. To assess the prevalence of IFN-I auto-Abs at the extreme end of human lifespan, we performed a multinational study of centenarians from four geographically and ethnically distinct cohorts collected in Denmark (n = 258), Colombia (n = 99), Australia (n = 281), and Japan (n = 300), comprising 938 individuals. Across cohorts, 51/938 centenarians (5.4%) harbored auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-I, ranging from 3.3% (Japan) to 9.1% (Colombia). We found that the prevalence of IFN-I auto-Abs levels off in centenarians compared with individuals ≥80 years from the general population, demonstrating that neutralizing IFN-I auto-Abs are not incompatible with longevity, despite conferring a risk of life-threatening viral infections. Yet, the plateau of their prevalence in centenarians suggests that they may not be beneficial for reaching exceptional longevity and may negatively impact mortality.
Source: Journal of Human Immunity
Authors: Nanna Mørk, Julie A. Jensen, Paul Bastard, Lisbeth Aagaard Larsen, Bettina Bundgaard, Marianne Nygaard, Signe Bedsted Clemmensen, Chiaki Tao, Vibeke Sorensen Catts, Anne Puel, Guillaume Vogt, Ivan David Lozada-Martinez, Juan-Manuel Anaya, Yasumichi Arai, Perminder Singh Sachdev, Satoshi Okada, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Kaare Christensen, Aurélie Cobat, Trine H. Mogensen
Institutions: Aarhus University, Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Inserm, Université Paris Cité, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris, Institut des Maladies Génétiques Imagine, University of Southern Denmark, Hiroshima University, UNSW Sydney, Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, Universidad de la Costa, Keio University, Keio University Human Biology-Microbiome-Quantum Research Center, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Aarhus University Hospital
Language: English
Subfield: Immunology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funders: St. Giles Foundation, Aarhus Universitet, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Fondation du Souffle, Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche et de l'Innovation, Institut des maladies génétiques Imagine, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Keio University, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Danmarks Grundforskningsfond, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Novo Nordisk, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Universidad de los Andes, Frimodt-Heineke Fonden, Universidad del Rosario, National Institutes of Health, Sundhedsvidenskabelige Fakultet, Aarhus Universitet, National Health and Medical Research Council, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, JST-Mirai Program
Awards: G1110395396, Neurocognitive disorders in the elderly, G1418548345, G1942173203, G1979782309, G2143835637, G2370001381, G250961418, G282427092, Genetic predisposition and anti-IFN autoantibodies underlying severe influenza., G2939690567, G3012682726, G3340235128, G3458322075, Center for immunology of viral infections (CiViA), G369303397, Risk factors, early diagnosis, and effective interventions for neurocognitive disorders, Inborn errors of immunity underlying severe viral infection of the brainstem, G513837726, G5296751580, G5369299101, G5485624415, G5568984734, G5757396261, G6218361667, G6224498365, G6508262114, G6603456033, G7838947372, Sydney Centenarian Study, G8670608220, Developing, Demonstrating, and Disseminating Innovative Programs to Achieve Translational Success, Inborn errors of immunity in patients with life-threatening COVID-19, G95170164, G967415208
OpenAlex ID: W7223954698