Loss of adrenergic nerves in bone marrow drives hematopoietic stem cell niche aging

Aging of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is associated with the decline of their regenerative capacity, and multi-lineage differentiation potential, contributing to development of blood disorders. The bone marrow microenvironment was recently suggested to influence HSC aging, however the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we show that HSC aging critically depends on bone marrow innervation by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), as premature loss of SNS nerves or adrenoreceptor b3 (ADRb3) signaling in the microenvironment accelerated the appearance of HSC aging phenotypes reminiscent of physiological aging. Strikingly, supplementation of ADRb3 sympathomimetics to old mice significantly rejuvenated in vivo function of old HSCs, suggesting that the preservation or restitution of SNS innervation during aging may hold the potential for novel HSC rejuvenation strategies.