Biology subjects

Druce, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Druce, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Dormancy, not apoptosis, restricts hematopoietic stem cell mutagenesis during aging

Genome instability and mutagenesis are hallmarks of aging, acting as drivers of some age-associated pathologies, including cancer1-3. Somatic cells engage multiple layers of protection against mutagenesis, including detoxification of genotoxic metabolites; repair of DNA damage; and elimination of cells which suffer excessive damage4-7. In this context, the intrinsic apoptotic pathway is engaged in response to activation of the DNA damage response (DDR) and is thought to play a major role in limiting accumulation of mutations, particularly in cells that act as an origin for cancer, such as somatic stem cells8,9. However, the dissection of the relative contribution of different protective mechanisms that restrict mutagenesis in such cells is confounded by the long time frame of experiments; relatively low mutation burden in non-malignant cells; and high variance across individuals due to differences in germ line and environment. Here we employ deep whole-genome sequencing (WGS) combined with extended time-course sampling from a range of experimental mouse models to study mutation acquisition in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) during aging. Having validated that murine HSCs recapitulate mutation acquisition patterns observed in aged human HSCs, we made the surprising discovery that apoptosis has a negligible role in restricting mutagenesis. Instead, we found that HSC dormancy inhibits mutagenesis during normal aging, with dormant HSCs from old mice demonstrating a mutation burden akin to their young counterparts. Importantly, breaking HSC dormancy via induction of sterile inflammation led to a dramatic acceleration in mutation rate, demonstrating that non-genotoxic environmental stimuli can modulate genome stability. These findings provide new insights into the correlation between inflammation and both aging and carcinogenesis.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2025

A kinetics-based model of hematopoiesis reveals extrinsic regulation of skewed lineage output from stem cells

Residing at the top of the hematopoietic hierarchy, long-term hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are capable of self-renewal and sustained blood cell regeneration. Over the past decades, single-cell and clonal analyses have revealed substantial functional and molecular heterogeneity within this compartment, challenging the notion that self-renewal is inherently tied to balanced, multi-lineage blood production. However, a cohesive model that explains the relationships among these diverse HSC states remains elusive. Here, we combined single-cell transplantations of over 1,000 highly purified murine long-term HSCs with in-depth phenotyping of their clonal progeny to achieve a detailed, time-resolved understanding of heterogeneous reconstitution outcomes. We identified reconstitution kinetics as an overall unifying metric of HSC functional potency, with the most potent HSCs displaying the greatest delay in hematopoietic reconstitution. Importantly, a progressive acceleration in reconstitution kinetics was also associated with a gradual shift in mature cell production from platelet and erythro-myeloid bias to balanced, and eventually lymphoid bias. Serial single-cell transplantations of HSCs revealed a unidirectional acceleration in reconstitution kinetics accompanied by a gradual decline in functional potency of daughter HSCs, aligning diverse phenotypes along a linear hierarchical trajectory. Mathematical modeling, together with experimental modulation of lineage-biased blood production, demonstrated that apparent lineage biases actually arise from cell-extrinsic feedback regulation and clonal competition between slow- and fast-engrafting clones to occupy the limited compartment sizes of mature lineages. Our study reconciles multiple layers of HSC heterogeneity into a unifying framework, prompting a reevaluation of the meaning of lineage biases in both normal and diseased hematopoiesis, with broad implications for other regenerating tissues during development, homeostasis, and repair.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Somatic mutation rates scale with lifespan across mammals

The rates and patterns of somatic mutation in normal tissues are largely unknown outside of humans. Comparative analyses can shed light on the diversity of mutagenesis across species and on long-standing hypotheses regarding the evolution of somatic mutation rates and their role in cancer and ageing. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing of 208 intestinal crypts from 56 individuals to study the landscape of somatic mutation across 16 mammalian species. We found somatic mutagenesis to be dominated by seemingly endogenous mutational processes in all species, including 5-methylcytosine deamination and oxidative damage. With some differences, mutational signatures in other species resembled those described in humans, although the relative contribution of each signature varied across species. Remarkably, the somatic mutation rate per year varied greatly across species and exhibited a strong inverse relationship with species lifespan, with no other life-history trait studied displaying a comparable association. Despite widely different life histories among the species surveyed, including [~]30-fold variation in lifespan and [~]40,000-fold variation in body mass, the somatic mutation burden at the end of lifespan varied only by a factor of [~]3. These data unveil common mutational processes across mammals and suggest that somatic mutation rates are evolutionarily constrained and may be a contributing factor in ageing.

genomics↗