A comprehensive transcriptome signature of murine hematopoietic stem cell aging

Arthur Flohr Svendsen, Daozheng Yang, KyungMok Kim, Seka Lazare, Natalia Skinder, Erik Zwart, Anna Mura-Meszaros, Albertina Ausema, Björn von Eyss, Gerald de Haan, Leonid Bystrykh

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We surveyed 16 published and unpublished data sets to determine whether a consistent pattern of transcriptional deregulation in aging murine hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) exists. Despite substantial heterogeneity between individual studies, we uncovered a core and robust HSC aging signature. We detected increased transcriptional activation in aged HSCs, further confirmed by chromatin accessibility analysis. Unexpectedly, using 2 independent computational approaches, we established that deregulated aging genes consist largely of membrane-associated transcripts, including many cell surface molecules previously not associated with HSC biology. We show that Selp (P-selectin), the most consistent deregulated gene, is not merely a marker for aged HSCs but is associated with HSC functional decline. Additionally, single-cell transcriptomics analysis revealed increased heterogeneity of the aged HSC pool. We identify the presence of transcriptionally “young-like” HSCs in aged bone marrow. We share our results as an online resource and demonstrate its utility by confirming that exposure to sympathomimetics or deletion of Dnmt3a/b molecularly resembles HSC rejuvenation or aging, respectively.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)439-451
Number of pages13
JournalBlood
Volume138
Issue number6
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Aug 2021
Externally publishedYes

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