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Aging and Regeneration
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Aging and Regeneration

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Aging".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2019) | Viewed by 70237

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Christoph Englert

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Leibniz Institute on Aging, Fritz Lipmann Institute, 07745 Jena, Germany
Interests: regulation of gene expression; development; organogenesis; cellular and organismic aging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Holger Bierhoff

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Friedrich Schiller Universitat Jena, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Jena, Germany
Interests: epigenetics; long-noncoding RNA; transcription, nucleolus; aging; stem cells
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aging is accompanied by a continuous decline in the capacity to maintain organ homeostasis and regeneration. This progressive failure to preserve organ functionality affects the quality of life and leads to an increased risk for diseases like cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, cancer, as well as to the loss of muscle mass and neurodegeneration. Many molecular and cellular pathways that are causally linked to the decline in tissue homeostasis and regenerative capacity have been identified. These mechanisms include impaired signaling, aberrant epigenetic regulation, perturbed protein quality control, and chronic oxidative stress, to name but a few. Clearly, cell-intrinsic as well as cell-extrinsic cues are involved in driving the aging process. At the organismal level, the maintenance and surveillance of organs and tissues depend to a great extent on specialized cell compartments. Adult stem cells are essential to replenish differentiated cells that get lost by common "wear and tear" but also to mediate repair after tissue lesions. Cells of the immune system are pivotal to protect against external insults and to clear compromised tissue cells. In this Special Issue, we will bring together the latest insights into the cellular and systemic mechanisms of aging and regeneration. A focus will be on mechanisms that underlie aging-associated changes in regenerative capacity. We will, however, cover a wide array of topics, including, but not limited to, aging-associated changes of the epigenome, cellular surveillance of protein homeostasis, damage response, cellular senescence, stem cell function and tissue regeneration, aging of the immune system, links between metabolism and aging, and aging-associated diseases.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Englert
Dr. Holger Bierhoff
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • aging
  • tissue homeostasis
  • regeneration
  • adult stem cells
  • protein quality control
  • cell surveillance and repair
  • gene regulation
  • epigenetics
  • metabolism

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 16488 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Multiscale Imaging Methods for Brain Research
by Jessica Tröger, Christian Hoischen, Birgit Perner, Shamci Monajembashi, Aurélien Barbotin, Anna Löschberger, Christian Eggeling, Michael M. Kessels, Britta Qualmann and Peter Hemmerich
Cells 2020, 9(6), 1377; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9061377 - 01 Jun 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5517
Abstract
A major challenge in neuroscience is how to study structural alterations in the brain. Even small changes in synaptic composition could have severe outcomes for body functions. Many neuropathological diseases are attributable to disorganization of particular synaptic proteins. Yet, to detect and comprehensively [...] Read more.
A major challenge in neuroscience is how to study structural alterations in the brain. Even small changes in synaptic composition could have severe outcomes for body functions. Many neuropathological diseases are attributable to disorganization of particular synaptic proteins. Yet, to detect and comprehensively describe and evaluate such often rather subtle deviations from the normal physiological status in a detailed and quantitative manner is very challenging. Here, we have compared side-by-side several commercially available light microscopes for their suitability in visualizing synaptic components in larger parts of the brain at low resolution, at extended resolution as well as at super-resolution. Microscopic technologies included stereo, widefield, deconvolution, confocal, and super-resolution set-ups. We also analyzed the impact of adaptive optics, a motorized objective correction collar and CUDA graphics card technology on imaging quality and acquisition speed. Our observations evaluate a basic set of techniques, which allow for multi-color brain imaging from centimeter to nanometer scales. The comparative multi-modal strategy we established can be used as a guide for researchers to select the most appropriate light microscopy method in addressing specific questions in brain research, and we also give insights into recent developments such as optical aberration corrections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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25 pages, 19346 KiB  
Article
Granulins Regulate Aging Kinetics in the Adult Zebrafish Telencephalon
by Alessandro Zambusi, Özge Pelin Burhan, Rossella Di Giaimo, Bettina Schmid and Jovica Ninkovic
Cells 2020, 9(2), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9020350 - 03 Feb 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4763
Abstract
Granulins (GRN) are secreted factors that promote neuronal survival and regulate inflammation in various pathological conditions. However, their roles in physiological conditions in the brain remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we analysed the telencephalon in Grn-deficient zebrafish and identified morphological [...] Read more.
Granulins (GRN) are secreted factors that promote neuronal survival and regulate inflammation in various pathological conditions. However, their roles in physiological conditions in the brain remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we analysed the telencephalon in Grn-deficient zebrafish and identified morphological and transcriptional changes in microglial cells, indicative of a pro-inflammatory phenotype in the absence of any insult. Unexpectedly, activated mutant microglia shared part of their transcriptional signature with aged human microglia. Furthermore, transcriptome profiles of the entire telencephali isolated from young Grn-deficient animals showed remarkable similarities with the profiles of the telencephali isolated from aged wildtype animals. Additionally, 50% of differentially regulated genes during aging were regulated in the telencephalon of young Grn-deficient animals compared to their wildtype littermates. Importantly, the telencephalon transcriptome in young Grn-deficent animals changed only mildly with aging, further suggesting premature aging of Grn-deficient brain. Indeed, Grn loss led to decreased neurogenesis and oligodendrogenesis, and to shortening of telomeres at young ages, to an extent comparable to that observed during aging. Altogether, our data demonstrate a role of Grn in regulating aging kinetics in the zebrafish telencephalon, thus providing a valuable tool for the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat age-associated pathologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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21 pages, 4529 KiB  
Article
Early Stroke Induces Long-Term Impairment of Adult Neurogenesis Accompanied by Hippocampal-Mediated Cognitive Decline
by Carolin Kathner-Schaffert, Lina Karapetow, Madlen Günther, Max Rudolph, Mahmoud Dahab, Eileen Baum, Thomas Lehmann, Otto W. Witte, Christoph Redecker, Christian W. Schmeer and Silke Keiner
Cells 2019, 8(12), 1654; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8121654 - 17 Dec 2019
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3953
Abstract
Stroke increases neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus in the short term, however, long-term effects at the cellular and functional level are poorly understood. Here we evaluated the impact of an early stroke lesion on neurogenesis and cognitive function of the aging brain. [...] Read more.
Stroke increases neurogenesis in the adult dentate gyrus in the short term, however, long-term effects at the cellular and functional level are poorly understood. Here we evaluated the impact of an early stroke lesion on neurogenesis and cognitive function of the aging brain. We hypothesized that a stroke disturbs dentate neurogenesis during aging correlate with impaired flexible learning. To address this issue a stroke was induced in 3-month-old C57Bl/6 mice by a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). To verify long-term changes of adult neurogenesis the thymidine analogue BrdU (5-Bromo-2′-deoxyuridine) was administrated at different time points during aging. One and half months after BrdU injections learning and memory performance were assessed with a modified version of the Morris water maze (MWM) that includes the re-learning paradigm, as well as hippocampus-dependent and -independent search strategies. After MWM performance mice were transcardially perfused. To further evaluate in detail the stroke-mediated changes on stem- and progenitor cells as well as endogenous proliferation nestin-green-fluorescent protein (GFP) mice were used. Adult nestin-GFP mice received a retroviral vector injection in the hippocampus to evaluate changes in the neuronal morphology. At an age of 20 month the nestin-GFP mice were transcardially perfused after MWM performance and BrdU application 1.5 months later. The early stroke lesion significantly decreased neurogenesis in 7.5- and 9-month-old animals and also endogenous proliferation in the latter group. Furthermore, immature doublecortin (DCX)-positive neurons were reduced in 20-month-old nestin-GFP mice after lesion. All MCAO groups showed an impaired performance in the MWM and mostly relied on hippocampal-independent search strategies. These findings indicate that an early ischemic insult leads to a dramatical decline of neurogenesis during aging that correlates with a premature development of hippocampal-dependent deficits. Our study supports the notion that an early stroke might lead to long-term cognitive deficits as observed in human patients after lesion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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19 pages, 2735 KiB  
Article
Aging Triggers H3K27 Trimethylation Hoarding in the Chromatin of Nothobranchius furzeri Skeletal Muscle
by Chiara Cencioni, Johanna Heid, Anna Krepelova, Seyed Mohammad Mahdi Rasa, Carsten Kuenne, Stefan Guenther, Mario Baumgart, Alessandro Cellerino, Francesco Neri, Francesco Spallotta and Carlo Gaetano
Cells 2019, 8(10), 1169; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8101169 - 28 Sep 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4919
Abstract
Aging associates with progressive loss of skeletal muscle function, sometimes leading to sarcopenia, a process characterized by impaired mobility and weakening of muscle strength. Since aging associates with profound epigenetic changes, epigenetic landscape alteration analysis in the skeletal muscle promises to highlight molecular [...] Read more.
Aging associates with progressive loss of skeletal muscle function, sometimes leading to sarcopenia, a process characterized by impaired mobility and weakening of muscle strength. Since aging associates with profound epigenetic changes, epigenetic landscape alteration analysis in the skeletal muscle promises to highlight molecular mechanisms of age-associated alteration in skeletal muscle. This study was conducted exploiting the short-lived turquoise killifish Nothobranchius furzeri (Nfu), a relatively new model for aging studies. The epigenetic analysis suggested a less accessible and more condensed chromatin in old Nfu skeletal muscle. Specifically, an accumulation of heterochromatin regions was observed as a consequence of increased levels of H3K27me3, HP1α, polycomb complex subunits, and senescence-associated heterochromatic foci (SAHFs). Consistently, euchromatin histone marks, including H3K9ac, were significantly reduced. In this context, integrated bioinformatics analysis of RNASeq and ChIPSeq, related to skeletal muscle of Nfu at different ages, revealed a down-modulation of genes involved in cell cycle, differentiation, and DNA repair and an up-regulation of inflammation and senescence genes. Undoubtedly, more studies are needed to disclose the detailed mechanisms; however, our approach enlightened unprecedented features of Nfu skeletal muscle aging, potentially associated with swimming impairment and reduced mobility typical of old Nfu. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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22 pages, 3592 KiB  
Article
Immune-Deficient Pfp/Rag2−/− Mice Featured Higher Adipose Tissue Mass and Liver Lipid Accumulation with Growing Age than Wildtype C57BL/6N Mice
by Sandra Winkler, Madlen Hempel, Mei-Ju Hsu, Martin Gericke, Hagen Kühne, Sandra Brückner, Silvio Erler, Ralph Burkhardt and Bruno Christ
Cells 2019, 8(8), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8080775 - 25 Jul 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3741
Abstract
Aging is a risk factor for adipose tissue dysfunction, which is associated with inflammatory innate immune mechanisms. Since the adipose tissue/liver axis contributes to hepatosteatosis, we sought to determine age-related adipose tissue dysfunction in the context of the activation of the innate immune [...] Read more.
Aging is a risk factor for adipose tissue dysfunction, which is associated with inflammatory innate immune mechanisms. Since the adipose tissue/liver axis contributes to hepatosteatosis, we sought to determine age-related adipose tissue dysfunction in the context of the activation of the innate immune system fostering fatty liver phenotypes. Using wildtype and immune-deficient mice, we compared visceral adipose tissue and liver mass as well as hepatic lipid storage in young (ca. 14 weeks) and adult (ca. 30 weeks) mice. Adipocyte size was determined as an indicator of adipocyte function and liver steatosis was quantified by hepatic lipid content. Further, lipid storage was investigated under normal and steatosis-inducing culture conditions in isolated hepatocytes. The physiological age-related increase in body weight was associated with a disproportionate increase in adipose tissue mass in immune-deficient mice, which coincided with higher triglyceride storage in the liver. Lipid storage was similar in isolated hepatocytes from wildtype and immune-deficient mice under normal culture conditions but was significantly higher in immune-deficient than in wildtype hepatocytes under steatosis-inducing culture conditions. Immune-deficient mice also displayed increased inflammatory, adipogenic, and lipogenic markers in serum and adipose tissue. Thus, the age-related increase in body weight coincided with an increase in adipose tissue mass and hepatic steatosis. In association with a (pro-)inflammatory milieu, aging thus promotes hepatosteatosis, especially in immune-deficient mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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Review

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24 pages, 1402 KiB  
Review
Robustness during Aging—Molecular Biological and Physiological Aspects
by Emanuel Barth, Patricia Sieber, Heiko Stark and Stefan Schuster
Cells 2020, 9(8), 1862; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells9081862 - 08 Aug 2020
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5076
Abstract
Understanding the process of aging is still an important challenge to enable healthy aging and to prevent age-related diseases. Most studies in age research investigate the decline in organ functionality and gene activity with age. The focus on decline can even be considered [...] Read more.
Understanding the process of aging is still an important challenge to enable healthy aging and to prevent age-related diseases. Most studies in age research investigate the decline in organ functionality and gene activity with age. The focus on decline can even be considered a paradigm in that field. However, there are certain aspects that remain surprisingly stable and keep the organism robust. Here, we present and discuss various properties of robust behavior during human and animal aging, including physiological and molecular biological features, such as the hematocrit, body temperature, immunity against infectious diseases and others. We examine, in the context of robustness, the different theories of how aging occurs. We regard the role of aging in the light of evolution. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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28 pages, 3042 KiB  
Review
Dissecting Aging and Senescence—Current Concepts and Open Lessons
by Christian Schmeer, Alexandra Kretz, Diane Wengerodt, Milan Stojiljkovic and Otto W. Witte
Cells 2019, 8(11), 1446; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8111446 - 15 Nov 2019
Cited by 82 | Viewed by 17270
Abstract
In contrast to the programmed nature of development, it is still a matter of debate whether aging is an adaptive and regulated process, or merely a consequence arising from a stochastic accumulation of harmful events that culminate in a global state of reduced [...] Read more.
In contrast to the programmed nature of development, it is still a matter of debate whether aging is an adaptive and regulated process, or merely a consequence arising from a stochastic accumulation of harmful events that culminate in a global state of reduced fitness, risk for disease acquisition, and death. Similarly unanswered are the questions of whether aging is reversible and can be turned into rejuvenation as well as how aging is distinguishable from and influenced by cellular senescence. With the discovery of beneficial aspects of cellular senescence and evidence of senescence being not limited to replicative cellular states, a redefinition of our comprehension of aging and senescence appears scientifically overdue. Here, we provide a factor-based comparison of current knowledge on aging and senescence, which we converge on four suggested concepts, thereby implementing the newly emerging cellular and molecular aspects of geroconversion and amitosenescence, and the signatures of a genetic state termed genosenium. We also address the possibility of an aging-associated secretory phenotype in analogy to the well-characterized senescence-associated secretory phenotype and delineate the impact of epigenetic regulation in aging and senescence. Future advances will elucidate the biological and molecular fingerprints intrinsic to either process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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19 pages, 611 KiB  
Review
Epigenetic Changes as a Target in Aging Haematopoietic Stem Cells and Age-Related Malignancies
by Sonja C. Buisman and Gerald de Haan
Cells 2019, 8(8), 868; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8080868 - 10 Aug 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4772
Abstract
Aging is associated with multiple molecular and functional changes in haematopoietic cells. Most notably, the self-renewal and differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are compromised, resulting in myeloid skewing, reduced output of red blood cells and decreased generation of immune cells. These [...] Read more.
Aging is associated with multiple molecular and functional changes in haematopoietic cells. Most notably, the self-renewal and differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are compromised, resulting in myeloid skewing, reduced output of red blood cells and decreased generation of immune cells. These changes result in anaemia, increased susceptibility for infections and higher prevalence of haematopoietic malignancies. In HSCs, age-associated global epigenetic changes have been identified. These epigenetic alterations in aged HSCs can occur randomly (epigenetic drift) or are the result of somatic mutations in genes encoding for epigenetic proteins. Mutations in loci that encode epigenetic modifiers occur frequently in patients with haematological malignancies, but also in healthy elderly individuals at risk to develop these. It may be possible to pharmacologically intervene in the aberrant epigenetic program of derailed HSCs to enforce normal haematopoiesis or treat age-related haematopoietic diseases. Over the past decade our molecular understanding of epigenetic regulation has rapidly increased and drugs targeting epigenetic modifications are increasingly part of treatment protocols. The reversibility of epigenetic modifications renders these targets for novel therapeutics. In this review we provide an overview of epigenetic changes that occur in aging HSCs and age-related malignancies and discuss related epigenetic drugs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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19 pages, 8491 KiB  
Review
Roles of JAK2 in Aging, Inflammation, Hematopoiesis and Malignant Transformation
by Florian Perner, Caroline Perner, Thomas Ernst and Florian H. Heidel
Cells 2019, 8(8), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8080854 - 08 Aug 2019
Cited by 128 | Viewed by 13809
Abstract
Clonal alterations in hematopoietic cells occur during aging and are often associated with the establishment of a subclinical inflammatory environment. Several age-related conditions and diseases may be initiated or promoted by these alterations. JAK2 mutations are among the most frequently mutated genes in [...] Read more.
Clonal alterations in hematopoietic cells occur during aging and are often associated with the establishment of a subclinical inflammatory environment. Several age-related conditions and diseases may be initiated or promoted by these alterations. JAK2 mutations are among the most frequently mutated genes in blood cells during aging. The most common mutation within the JAK2 gene is JAK2-V617F that leads to constitutive activation of the kinase and thereby aberrant engagement of downstream signaling pathways. JAK2 mutations can act as central drivers of myeloproliferative neoplasia, a pre-leukemic and age-related malignancy. Likewise, hyperactive JAK-signaling is a hallmark of immune diseases and critically influences inflammation, coagulation and thrombosis. In this review we aim to summarize the current knowledge on JAK2 in clonal hematopoiesis during aging, the role of JAK-signaling in inflammation and lymphocyte biology and JAK2 function in age-related diseases and malignant transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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Other

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8 pages, 477 KiB  
Perspective
Amitosenescence and Pseudomitosenescence: Putative New Players in the Aging Process
by Diane Wengerodt, Christian Schmeer, Otto W. Witte and Alexandra Kretz
Cells 2019, 8(12), 1546; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8121546 - 29 Nov 2019
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4782
Abstract
Replicative senescence has initially been defined as a stress reaction of replication-competent cultured cells in vitro, resulting in an ultimate cell cycle arrest at preserved growth and viability. Classically, it has been linked to critical telomere curtailment following repetitive cell divisions, and later [...] Read more.
Replicative senescence has initially been defined as a stress reaction of replication-competent cultured cells in vitro, resulting in an ultimate cell cycle arrest at preserved growth and viability. Classically, it has been linked to critical telomere curtailment following repetitive cell divisions, and later described as a response to oncogenes and other stressors. Currently, there are compelling new directions indicating that a comparable state of cellular senescence might be adopted also by postmitotic cell entities, including terminally differentiated neurons. However, the cellular upstream inducers and molecular downstream cues mediating a senescence-like state in neurons (amitosenescence) are ill-defined. Here, we address the phenomenon of abortive atypical cell cycle activity in light of amitosenescence, and discuss why such replicative reprogramming might provide a yet unconsidered source to explain senescence in maturated neurons. We also hypothesize the existence of a G0 subphase as a priming factor for cell cycle re-entry, in analogy to discoveries in quiescent muscle stem cells. In conclusion, we propose a revision of our current view on the process and definition of senescence by encompassing a primarily replication-incompetent state (amitosenescence), which might be expanded by events of atypical cell cycle activity (pseudomitosenescence). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aging and Regeneration)
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