| dc.description.abstract | Advanced age is the major underlying risk factor for many chronic and debilitating diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and osteoporosis. One driving factor of the aging process is the loss of regenerative capacity. However, the effects of aging on regenerative power are mostly studied using isolated stem cells, or single tissue types such as the intestinal lining. Therefore, very little information is available about how different cell types interact during regeneration, and how regenerative events are timed. Similar to the axolotl or salamander limb, the mouse and human digit tip are capable of epimorphic regeneration, which is the complete and near-perfect replacement of an amputated multicellular structure. To date, the effects of aging on this response are unknown. In order to study this age-related decline of regenerative power, the digit tips of a mouse model of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a disease of accelerated aging, were analyzed at different time points in the regenerative process. | |
