Table 1.
Major age-related changes in adult stem cells and their association with age-related diseases (ARDs)
| Adult stem cell source | Major changes during aging | Stem cells in ARDs | Selected refs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSCs (hematopoietic stem cells) | Increased HSC pool in the bone marrow (BM) | Age-associated alterations in HSCs may contribute to increased leukemia incidence with age and to favor the emergence of ARDs, including non-hematopoietic cancers and UAE | (Henry et al. 2011; Rossi et al. 2008; Van Zant and Liang 2012) |
| Lymphoid to myeloid lineage shift | |||
| Reduced homing ability to the BM upon transplantation | HSC transplantation was suggested as an alternative approach for the treatment of age-related hematological malignancies | ||
| Structural changes in the BM niche | |||
| NSCs (neural stem cells) | Reduced NSC proliferation | NSC aging evidenced by reduced neurogenesis may contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative disease | (Artegiani and Calegari 2012; Riddle and Lichtenwalner 2007) |
| Reduced neurogenesis | |||
| Altered cell signaling in the niche | NSC transplantation to replace damaged/lost tissues or to induce endogenous neurogenesis might be used in the future to slow down age-related cognitive decline | ||
| MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells) | Reduced MSC pool | MSC aging may contribute to the progression of ARDs, for example osteoarthritis | (Stolzing et al. 2008; Alt et al. 2012) |
| Altered differentiation potential | |||
| Altered systemic environment | MSC transplantation was suggested as an alternative approach for the treatment of ARDs, including diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases | ||
| Skeletal muscle stem cells | Reduced satellite pool?a | The contribution of skeletal stem cell aging to ARDs is not clear | (Shadrach and Wagers 2011; Briggs and Morgan 2013; Pannerec et al. 2012; Yablonka-Reuveni 2011) |
| Myogenic to fibrogenic lineage shift | Satellite cell transplantation may provide a strategy to slow the progression of muscular dystrophies | ||
| Altered cell signaling in the niche |
UAE unexplained anemia in the elderly
aSubject under debate (detailed in “Pool of satellite cells” section)