title: Stem cells and aberrant signaling of molecular systems in skin aging.
abstract: The skin is the body's largest organ and it is able to self-repair throughout an individual's life. With advanced age, skin is prone to degenerate in response to damage. Although cosmetic surgery has been widely adopted to rejuvinate skin, we are far from a clear understanding of the mechanisms responsible for skin aging. Recently, adult skin-resident stem/progenitor cells, growth arrest, senescence or apoptotic death and dysfunction caused by alterations in key signaling genes, such as Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, PI3K/Akt-kinases, Wnt, p21 and p53, have been shown to play a vital role in skin regeneration. Simultaneously, enhanced telomere attrition, hormone exhaustion, oxidative stress, genetic events and ultraviolet radiation exposure that result in severe DNA damage, genomic instability and epigenetic mutations also contribute to skin aging. Therefore, cell replacement and targeting of the molecular systems found in skin hold great promise for controlling or even curing skin aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, L9-12, Lab block, Hong Kong, SAR, China; Department of Plastic Surgery, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou command, The Key Laboratory of Trauma Treatment & Tissue Repair of Tropical Area, PLA, GuangDong, 510010, PR China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510010, PR China; Department of Plastic Surgery, Guangzhou General Hospital of Guangzhou command, The Key Laboratory of Trauma Treatment & Tissue Repair of Tropical Area, PLA, GuangDong, 510010, PR China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Xuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, L9-12, Lab block, Hong Kong, SAR, China. Electronic address: vicleung@hku.hk.
authors.forename: Victor Y L
authors.initials: VY
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510010, PR China. Electronic address: chengbiaocheng@163.com.
authors.forename: Biao
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*; D012867:Skin / Q000254:growth & development*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000502:physiology
keywords: Estrogen deficiency; ROS damage; Skin aging; Skin stem/progenitor cells; Telomere shortening