An inflammatory and quiescent HSC subpopulation expands with age in humans

Genome biology 2026 Open access

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Authors: Ksenia R. Safina, Basit Salik, Dylan Kotliar, Michelle Curtis, Jonathan Good, Chen Weng, Shawn David, Soumya Raychaudhuri, Antonia Kreso, Jennifer J. Trowbridge, Vijay G. Sankaran, Peter M. van Galen
DOI: 10.1186/s13059-026-03936-z
Cited by: 2
References: 76

Abstract

Aging of the blood system impacts systemic health and can be traced to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Despite multiple reports on human HSC aging, a unified map detailing their molecular age-related changes is lacking. We developed a consensus map of gene expression in HSCs by integrating seven single-cell datasets. This map reveals previously unappreciated heterogeneity within the HSC population. It also links inflammatory pathway activation (TNF/NFκB, AP-1) and quiescence within a single gene expression program. This program dominates an inflammatory HSC subpopulation that increases with age, highlighting a potential target for further experimental studies and anti-aging interventions.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics Acute Myeloid Leukemia Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Genome biology
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Volume
27
Issue
1
Pages
30–30
Publication date
16 January 2026
Language
EN