The transcription Factor Slug represses p16Ink4a and regulates murine muscle stem cell aging

Sustainable muscle regeneration necessitates proper maintenance of the quiescence-reversible SCs pool. Activation of p16Ink4a-associated senescence pathway during aging breaks muscle homeostasis and causes degenerative muscle disease by irreversibly dampening satellite cell (SC) self-renewal capacity. We performed microarrays analysis to compare the genome-wide gene expression profiles of wild-type and Slug-deficient SCs and identified distinct classes of up-regulated genes upon deletion of Slug gene. Quiescent SCs were collected by FACS sorting of CD45-Sca1-CD11b-CD31-CD34+Integrin-α7+ cell population in mononucleated cells prepared from hindlimb muslces of adult wildtype and Slug knockout mice, respectively. RNA was extracted for Affymetrix microarrays analysis.