A new study has found that modulating the function of immune cells could help recover muscle’s regenerative capacity in aged individuals. The researchers discovered a protein called MANF that regulates the function of macrophages, a subset of immune cells that clear dead cells from regenerating muscles after injury. The protein is crucial for the process of muscle regeneration, promoting macrophages’ ability to clear residues in the regenerating muscle. The study’s findings suggest that immune aging is a significant obstacle to the regenerative capacity of aged muscle. In the future, MANF could be used as a supplement to improve the efficiency of current muscle regenerative therapies. The study was developed at iMM in collaboration with the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) in Finland and was funded by the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Fundação Portuguesa para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.
Muscle regeneration is a complex process that involves the immune system. However, as we age, our muscles lose their regenerative capacity. A new study published in the scientific journal Nature Aging by group leaders at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes (iMM, Portugal), Joana Neves and Pedro Sousa-Victor, has found that it is possible to recover the ability to regenerate muscle in aged mice by modulating the function of immune cells.
The researchers discovered a protein that regulates the function of macrophages, a subset of immune cells that are responsible for clearing dead cells from regenerating muscles after injury. This protein, called MANF, is crucial for the process of muscle regeneration, as it promotes macrophages’ ability to clear residues in the regenerating muscle. The study found that macrophages in aged mice have reduced levels of MANF, leading to impaired muscle regeneration. On the other hand, increasing MANF levels in aged muscle is sufficient to recover muscle’s regenerative capacity.
The study’s implications for regenerative medicine and aging are significant. Stem cells’ ability to repair aged or diseased organs is a central promise of regenerative medicine, and this approach has the potential to increase human health span by delaying age-related diseases. However, the study shows that immune aging is a significant obstacle to the regenerative capacity of aged muscle.
Joana Neves, co-leader of the study, explains that macrophages act like a cellular vacuum cleaner, cleaning the “dirt” from the muscle. However, macrophages’ behavior is altered in aged mice, and they have reduced levels of MANF. This protein is so important in the process of muscle regeneration that decreasing its levels in the macrophages in younger mice impairs their ability to regenerate muscle.
Overall, the study’s findings suggest that modulating the function of immune cells could be a promising approach to recover muscle’s regenerative capacity in aged individuals. This approach could have significant implications for regenerative medicine and aging, delaying age-related diseases and increasing human health span.
A new study has discovered an immune modulator that could be used in the future to improve the function of the immune system in aged muscle, promoting the reparative function of the immune system and improving the success of current stem-cell based therapies for muscle regeneration. The protein, called MANF, could be used as a supplement to improve the efficiency of current muscle regenerative therapies. The study was developed at iMM in collaboration with the Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE) in Finland and was funded by the European Molecular Biology Organization and the Fundação Portuguesa para a Ciência e a Tecnologia.
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