People have always been fascinated by aging. Thanks to progress in life sciences and medicine, we now understand aging better and can study its different aspects more closely. One area that has drawn significant attention in recent years is the aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs These cells are crucial due to their ability to produce all the blood cells in our bodies, keeping our blood system running smoothly. Unfortunately, as hematopoietic stem cells age, they lose their functionality. They do not produce blood cells in a balanced way, and some of these cells may exhibit decreased functionality or even become cancerous.
This thesis of Natalia Skinder explores different aspects of the aging process and attempts to answer the question, “How and why do hematopoietic stem cells age?”
Chapter 1 briefly describes the history of the hematopoietic stem cell field and delves deeper into their subtypes and functions. Then, the effects of aging on these cells and their consequences are thoroughly explained.
Chapter 2 focuses on understanding the complexity of the hematopoietic stem cells population by comparing young and aged stem cells to identify differences both between the groups and within each population.
Chapter 3 examines the role of the P-selectin gene in the process of hematopoietic stem cells aging. Similarly,
Chapter 4 identifies the role of CD61 in HSC aging.
Lastly, Chapter 5 studies the influence of the methylation process on the advancement of hematopoietic stem cells aging.
Despite the variety of topics in this thesis, all of them address the central questions about hematopoietic stem cell aging. It provides a solid foundation for further research in this field.
