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Posted by United Press International on February 8, 2010, 12:14 pm
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BOSTON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they have
reversed the aging of blood stem cells through the influence of
bone-forming cells known as osteoblasts.
Principal Investigator Amy Wagers of the Joslin Diabetes
Center in Boston said aging leads blood stem cells in bone marrow to
produce an aberrant array of blood cell types that enhances
vulnerability to disease. An earlier study at Joslin by postdoctoral
fellow Shane Mayack revealed bone-forming cells known as osteoblasts
have a critical role in the maintenance and regeneration of blood
stem cells.
Wagers said her team found blood factors from osteoblasts
influence the aging of blood stem cells, making them less able to
produce the right mixture of blood cells.
Wagers' team conducted tests in which two mice shared a
common blood circulation. When old mice were paired with young mice,
osteoblasts and existing stem cells of the older mice showed signs
of rejuvenation, so that the older mice had blood-forming abilities
more characteristic of younger mice.
"What's most exciting is that the changes that occur in
blood stem cells during aging are reversible, through signals
carried by the blood itself," Wagers said. "This means that the
blood system offers a potential therapeutic avenue for age-related
stem cell dysfunction."
The study appeared in the Jan. 28 issue of the journal
Nature.
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