The Genomics of Aging at the Single-Cell Scale

Abstract

Aging is the primary risk factor for many diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. The rapid advancement of single-cell sequencing technologies has opened promising avenues for investigating aging-associated cellular changes that contribute to disrupted system homeostasis and increased vulnerability to age-related diseases. Despite the abundance of data generated over the past decade, a systematic understanding of how aging affects cell type–specific populations across the entire mammalian organism remains lacking—a critical gap for elucidating the cellular foundations of aging-related system dysfunction. In this review, we address this knowledge gap by summarizing recent single-cell studies examining the impact of aging on cell type–specific population changes across mammalian organs. We also review the impact of gender and antiaging interventions on cell population dynamics in aged mammals. This work provides a comprehensive catalog of cellular states susceptible to aging, highlighting potential therapeutic targets for aging and age-related diseases.