Adult stem cells are ultimately responsible for the lifelong maintenance of regenerating of tissues during both homeostasis and following injury. Hence, the functional attrition of adult stem cells is thought to be an important driving factor behind the progressive functional decline of tissues and organs that is observed during aging. The mechanistic cause underlying this age-associated exhaustion of functional stem cells is likely to be complex and multifactorial. However, it is clear that progressive remodeling of the epigenome and the resulting deregulation of gene expression programs can be considered a hallmark of aging, and is likely a key factor in mediating altered biological function of aged stem cells. In this review, we outline cell intrinsic and extrinsic mediators of epigenome remodeling during aging; discuss how such changes can impact on stem cell function; and describe how resetting the aged epigenome may rejuvenate some of the biological characteristics of stem cells.

中文翻译：

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干细胞表观基因组在正常衰老和恢复活力治疗中的作用。

成体干细胞最终负责在体内平衡和损伤后组织再生的终生维持。因此，成体干细胞的功能磨损被认为是在衰老过程中观察到的组织和器官进行性功能衰退背后的重要驱动因素。这种与年龄相关的功能性干细胞耗竭的机制可能是复杂和多因素的。然而，很明显，表观基因组的逐步重塑和由此产生的基因表达程序的失调可以被认为是衰老的标志，并且可能是介导衰老干细胞生物学功能改变的关键因素。在这篇综述中，我们概述了衰老过程中表观基因组重塑的细胞内在和外在介质；讨论这些变化如何影响干细胞功能；并描述重置老化的表观基因组如何使干细胞的某些生物学特征恢复活力。