Increased IL-6 secretion by aged human mesenchymal stromal cells disrupts hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells' homeostasis.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) homeostasis declines with age, leading to impaired hematopoiesis. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are critical components of the bone marrow niche and key regulators of the balance between HSPC proliferation and quiescence. Accrual of DNA damage, a hallmark of cellular aging, occurs in aged MSC.

DDR-mediated crosstalk between DNA-damaged cells and their microenvironment.

The DNA damage response (DDR) is an evolutionarily conserved signaling cascade that senses and responds to double-strand DNA breaks by organizing downstream cellular events, ranging from appropriate DNA repair to cell cycle checkpoints. In higher organisms, the DDR prevents neoplastic transformation by directly protecting the information contained in the genome and by regulating cell fate decisions, like apoptosis and senescence, to ensure the removal of severely damaged cells. In addition to these well-studied cell-autonomous effects, emerging evidence now shows that the DDR signaling cascade can also function in a paracrine manner, thus influencing the biology of the surrounding cellular microenvironment.