Source: Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Date: October 10, 2007
Summary:
The Stowers Institute’s Xie Lab has published recent findings that reveal some of the factors underlying the aging of stem cells. It is widely postulated that a decrease in the number and activity of stem cells contributes to the aging of human tissue. These changes could be fundamental to many symptoms of aging such as wrinkling of skin and decreased organ function. The control of stem cell aging has, until now, been poorly understood, but the Xie Lab has demonstrated that specific factors are associated with an age-dependent decline in the function of stem cells and their microenvironment, called a niche.
