Glycome Profiling by Lectin Microarray Reveals Dynamic Glycan Alterations During Epidermal Stem Cell Aging
July 2020
in “
Aging Cell
”
epidermal stem cells aging lectin microarray glycan alterations high mannose-type N-glycans α2-3/6 sialylated complex-type N-glycans sialyltransferase St3gal2 St6gal1 mannosidase Man1a primary keratinocytes cell proliferation regenerative therapy skin aging diagnosis skin stem cells skin aging glycan changes sialylated glycans mannose-type glycans sialyltransferase enzymes mannosidase enzymes keratinocytes cell growth skin regeneration skin aging detection
TLDR Aging changes sugar molecules on skin stem cells, which may affect their ability to repair skin.
The study investigated glycan alterations in epidermal stem cells during aging using lectin microarray profiling in young (2 months) and old (22-24 months) mice. It found that aging is associated with a shift from high mannose-type N-glycans to α2-3/6 sialylated complex-type N-glycans. Gene expression analysis revealed upregulation of sialyltransferase (St3gal2, St6gal1) and mannosidase (Man1a) genes in old stem cells. Overexpression of these genes in primary keratinocytes mimicked aging glycan patterns and impaired cell proliferation, suggesting that glycan changes contribute to the decline in stem cell function with age. The study proposed using specific lectins as probes for aged stem cells, with potential applications in regenerative therapy and skin aging diagnosis.
