scholarly journals Manifestations and mechanisms of stem cell aging

2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Liu ◽  
Thomas A. Rando

Adult stem cells exist in most mammalian organs and tissues and are indispensable for normal tissue homeostasis and repair. In most tissues, there is an age-related decline in stem cell functionality but not a depletion of stem cells. Such functional changes reflect deleterious effects of age on the genome, epigenome, and proteome, some of which arise cell autonomously and others of which are imposed by an age-related change in the local milieu or systemic environment. Notably, some of the changes, particularly epigenomic and proteomic, are potentially reversible, and both environmental and genetic interventions can result in the rejuvenation of aged stem cells. Such findings have profound implications for the stem cell–based therapy of age-related diseases.

Author(s):  
Xiao Sheng ◽  
Yuedan Zhu ◽  
Juanyu Zhou ◽  
La Yan ◽  
Gang Du ◽  
...  

The dysfunction or exhaustion of adult stem cells during aging is closely linked to tissue aging and age-related diseases. Circumventing this aging-related exhaustion of adult stem cells could significantly alleviate the functional decline of organs. Therefore, identifying small molecular compounds that could prevent the age-related decline of stem cell function is a primary goal in anti-aging research. Caffeic acid (CA), a phenolic compound synthesized in plants, offers substantial health benefits for multiple age-related diseases and aging. However, the effects of CA on adult stem cells remain largely unknown. Using the Drosophila midgut as a model, this study showed that oral administration with CA significantly delayed age-associated Drosophila gut dysplasia caused by the dysregulation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) upon aging. Moreover, administering CA retarded the decline of intestinal functions in aged Drosophila and prevented hyperproliferation of age-associated ISC by suppressing oxidative stress-associated JNK signaling. On the other hand, CA supplementation significantly ameliorated the gut hyperplasia defect and reduced environmentally induced mortality, revealing the positive effects of CA on tolerance to stress responses. Taken together, our findings report a crucial role of CA in delaying age-related changes in ISCs of Drosophila.


2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-97
Author(s):  
R.L. Yang ◽  
H.M. Huang ◽  
C.S. Han ◽  
S.J. Cui ◽  
Y.K. Zhou ◽  
...  

To investigate the characteristics and molecular events of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) for tissue regeneration with aging, we isolated and analyzed the stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) and permanent teeth of young (Y-DPSCs) and old (A-DPSCs) adults. Results showed that the stemness and osteogenic differentiation capacity of DPSCs decreased with aging. The RNA sequencing results showed that glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism was one of the most enriched gene clusters among SHED, Y-DPSCs, and A-DPSCs, according to analysis based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes. The expression of serine metabolism–related enzymes phosphoserine aminotransferase 1 (PSAT1) and phosphoglycerate (PHGDH) decreased in A-DPSCs and provided less methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) for DNA methylation, leading to the hypomethylation of the senescence marker p16 (CDNK2A). Furthermore, the proliferation and differentiation capacity of Y-DPSCs and SHED decreased after PHGDH siRNA treatment, which reduced the level of SAM. Convincingly, the ratios of PSAT1-, PHGDH-, or proliferating cell nuclear antigen–positive cells in the dental pulp of old permanent teeth were less than those in the dental pulp of deciduous teeth and young permanent teeth. In summary, the stemness and differentiation capacity of DPSCs decreased with aging. The decreased serine metabolism in A-DPSCs upregulated the expression of p16 via attenuating its DNA methylation, resulting in DPSC aging. Our finding indicated that serine metabolism and 1 carbon unit participated in stem cell aging, which provided new direction for stem cell aging study and intervention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagarajan Maharajan ◽  
Karthikeyan Vijayakumar ◽  
Chul Ho Jang ◽  
Goang-Won Cho

Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 2660-2660
Author(s):  
Ying Liang

The aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) contributes to the aging of blood system and perhaps the whole organism. The aging process is coordinately determined by both genetic and epigenetic factors, and demonstrates inter-individual variations. We used high-throughput sequencing methods to study the age-dependent changes of genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in HSCs of C57BL/6 (B6) and DBA/2 mouse strains, which have shown natural variations in HSC aging process. We observed global age-associated decrease of DNA methylation in both strains, but D2 HSCs have a stronger loss of epigenetic control than B6 stem cells during aging. Majority age-related changes of DNA methylation occur from young to mid-aged stages. We identified stable strain-specific differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that overlap with cis-eQTLs. Moreover, transcription factor binding site motifs are more likely to be disrupted in the DMRs, suggesting the potential impact of genetic variations on epigenetic regulation of HSC aging. We further demonstrated that strain-specific DMRs have more profound effects on the aging of B6 HSCs than D2 stem cells. Transposons are differentially regulated by the DMRs in the two strains, in which D2 HSCs are prone to transposon insertion. This study comprehensively investigated the effects of natural genetic and epigenetic variations on HSC aging. Loss of DNA methylation is an epigenetic signature of stem cell aging, and DNA methylation variations correlates with genetic variations, both contributing to inter-individual differences in stem cell and perhaps organismal aging. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Author(s):  
Sarah Karimi ◽  
Setareh Raoufi ◽  
Zohreh Bagher

Introduction: Aging is a natural phenomenon that is caused by changes in the cells of the body. Theoretically, aging starts from birth and lasts throughout life. These changes affect the function of the cells. Also, in old tissues, the capacity for homeostasis and tissue repair is decline due to destructive changes in specific tissue stem cells, niche of stem cells and systemic factors that regulate stem cell activity. Understanding molecular pathways that disrupt stem cell function during aging is crucial for the development of new treatments for aging-associated diseases. In this article, the symptoms of stem cell aging and the key molecular pathways that are commonly used for the aging of stem cells were discussed. We will consider experimental evidence for all of the mechanisms and evaluate the way that can slow down or even stop the aging process. Finally, we will look at the aging process of three types of stem cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 663-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Carmen Ortells ◽  
William M. Keyes

Adult tissue homoeostasis requires continual replacement of cells that are lost due to normal turnover, injury and disease. However, aging is associated with an overall decline in tissue function and homoeostasis, suggesting that the normal regulatory processes that govern self-renewal and regeneration may become impaired with age. Tissue-specific SCs (stem cells) lie at the apex of organismal conservation and regeneration, ultimately being responsible for continued tissue maintenance. In many tissues, there are changes in SC numbers, or alteration of their growth properties during aging, often involving imbalances in tumour-suppressor- and oncogene-mediated pathways. Uncovering the molecular mechanisms leading to changes in SC function during aging will provide an essential tool to address tissue-specific age-related pathologies. In the present review, we summarize the age-related alterations found in different tissue SC populations, highlighting recently identified changes in aged HFSCs (hair-follicle SCs) in the skin.


2018 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 1396-1407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mujib Ullah ◽  
Zhongjie Sun

Abstract Understanding the effect of molecular pathways involved in the age-dependent deterioration of stem cell function is critical for developing new therapies. The overexpression of Klotho (KL), an antiaging protein, causes treated animal models to enjoy extended life spans. Now, the question stands: Does KL deficiency accelerate stem cell aging and telomere shortening? If so, what are the specific mechanisms by which it does this, and is cycloastragenol (CAG) treatment enough to restore telomerase activity in aged stem cells? We found that KL deficiency diminished telomerase activity by altering the expression of TERF1 and TERT, causing impaired differentiation potential, pluripotency, cellular senescence, and apoptosis in stem cells. Telomerase activity decreased with KL-siRNA knockdown. This suggests that both KL and telomeres regulate the stem cell aging process through telomerase subunits TERF1, POT1, and TERT using the TGFβ, Insulin, and Wnt signaling. These pathways can rejuvenate stem cell populations in a CD90-dependent mechanism. Stem cell dysfunctions were largely provoked by KL deficiency and telomere shortening, owing to altered expression of TERF1, TGFβ1, CD90, POT1, TERT, and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The CAG treatment partially rescued telomerase deterioration, suggesting that KL plays a critical role in life-extension by regulating telomere length and telomerase activity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 168 ◽  
pp. 20-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soon Won Choi ◽  
Jin Young Lee ◽  
Kyung-Sun Kang

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