Reassessment of hematopoietic stem cell aging through metabolic uncoupling and mitochondrial resilience
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) aging is often described as a gradual loss of stem cell fitness that culminates in impaired blood production, immune dysfunction, and increased susceptibility to hematologic disease. However, recent work suggests that this view is too simple. Rather than a uniform decline, aging appears to remodel the HSC compartment into metabolically and functionally distinct states, including maladaptive trajectories as well as surprisingly resilient subsets. In this review, we argue that HSC aging is best understood through the interplay of mitochondrial regulation, metabolic uncoupling, and niche-derived stress, with particular emphasis on how recent findings revise several longstanding assumptions in the field (Box 1).
Source: Experimental Hematology
Authors: Chong Yang, Keiyo Takubo, Toshio Suda
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Tohoku University, Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, National Institute of Global Health and Medicine, Japan Institute for Health Security
Language: English
Subfield: Hematology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,250
Funders: Takeda Science Foundation, Uehara Memorial Foundation, Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development, Japan Health Research Promotion Bureau, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Kanagawa Academy of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Initiative for Innovative Medicine
OpenAlex ID: W7170090637