Stem cell aging: The upcoming era of proteins and metabolites. (September 2020) - Schüler, Svenja C.
Highlights: Mechanisms of proteostasis maintaining stem cell function. Metabolic changes influence stem cell activity during aging. Heterogeneity of stem cell niches in aging. Emerging technologies to study stem cell proteome and metabolome. Abstract: So far, the investigation of stem cell aging has been primarily carried out at the genomic level to follow transcriptome changes, clonal dominance, epigenetic changes, and, more recently, population heterogeneity by single cell sequencing. Here, we review recent findings in the field of stem cell aging that include failure of proteostasis, the impact of age-related metabolic changes on stem cell differentiation and heterogeneity of stem cell niches. These emerging concepts highlight the need of a paradigm shift to move forward our understanding of stem cell aging to the next level, in particular, the need of investigating cell intrinsic changes in stem cells and their niche by looking in a quantitative manner to proteins and metabolites.