The Effect of Aging on Human HSC Signaling Dynamics

Aging HSCs are desensitized to stimulation with growth factors due to loss of AKT signaling. The elongation of the G1 cell cycle and reduced proliferation is exaggerated in most aged HSCs. It remains unclear what exactly causes the drop in AKT phosphorylation and desensitization to growth factors. More work is needed to understand how aging affects the behavior of HSCs, says Dick Loughler.