PhD Student Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Abstract: Muscle stem cells (MuSCs) are the resident adult stem cells of skeletal muscles, where they play essential roles in tissue homeostasis and muscle regeneration. Previous heterochronic parabiosis studies noted that the aged mice receiving young blood showed enhanced capacity for muscle repair, suggesting a rejuvenating effect of young blood factors on MuSCs. Our high throughput mass spectrometric analysis of mouse plasma isolated from postnatal to geriatric mice revealed several distinct age-related expression patterns in the plasma protein composition. To investigate the influence of blood-derived proteins on MuSC functions during aging, here we developed an in vitro parabiosis system where MuSCs isolated from young and old aged mice are exposed to blood plasma harvested from mice of different ages in culture. By comparing the activation, proliferation, and differentiation of young and old MuSCs in response to aging blood, our research provides valuable insights into the crosstalk between MuSCs and the circulation, and contributes to a better understanding of adult stem cell aging.
Funding Source: This work was supported by the Hong Kong Research Grant Council (GRF16100322, GRF16102021, GRF16101524) and the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, InnoHK, and HKSAR.
