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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Aug 7.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Stem Cell. 2013 Feb 7;12(2):152–165. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2013.01.001

Figure 1. Multiple Sources of Damage to Biological Macromolecules Reduce Stem Cell Function during Aging.

Figure 1

Sources of damage (top row) including ROS, exogenous mutagens, proliferation, infidelity of DNA replication, and errors in protein translation can damage macromolecules or organelles within a cell (middle row). Damage accumulates in DNA, proteins, mitochondria, and lipids during aging and contributes to declines in stem cell function, tissue regeneration, and life span. The cellular consequences of this damage (bottom row) include cell death, cellular senescence, differentiation, altered cellular physiology, and cancer. All of these mechanisms are interrelated; damage to one component, such as telomeres, can influence the function of other components, such as mitochondria (Sahin and Depinho, 2010).