Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Research Highlight
  • Published:

Stem cells

Replication stress makes HSCs feel old

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology volume 15, pages 560–561 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

the accumulation of γH2AX in old HSCs occurs independently of sensing DNA damage

HSCs were isolated from the bone marrow of young mice (6–12 weeks old) and old mice (22–30 months old) and the functional impairment of old HSCs after transplantation was confirmed. In line with previous results, the old HSCs had increased phosphorylation of the histone H2A variant H2AX (γH2AX) — which typically occurs after sensing of DNA breaks as a first step of the DNA damage response (DDR) pathway — but the authors found no evidence of colocalization of DNA damage proteins or of DNA fragmentation. The old HSCs could clear ionizing radiation-induced γH2AX foci as effectively as young HSCs, which shows that they remain competent for the DDR. Thus, the accumulation of γH2AX in old HSCs occurs independently of sensing DNA damage and is not the result of defective clearance by the DDR pathway.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Flach, J. et al. Replication stress is a potent driver of functional decline in ageing haematopoietic stem cells. Nature http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature13619 (2014)

Download references

Authors
  1. Kirsty Minton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Minton, K. Replication stress makes HSCs feel old. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 15, 560–561 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3859

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm3859

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing