title: Fanconi Anemia: A DNA repair disorder characterized by accelerated decline of the hematopoietic stem cell compartment and other features of aging.
abstract: Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal genetic disorder characterized by progressive bone marrow failure (BMF), endocrine dysfunction, cancer, and other clinical features commonly associated with normal aging. The anemia stems directly from an accelerated decline of the hematopoietic stem cell compartment. Although FA is a complex heterogeneous disease linked to mutations in 19 currently identified genes, there has been much progress in understanding the molecular pathology involved. FA is broadly considered a DNA repair disorder and the FA gene products, together with other DNA repair factors, have been implicated in interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair. However, in addition to the defective DNA damage response, altered epigenetic regulation, and telomere defects, FA is also marked by elevated levels of inflammatory mediators in circulation, a hallmark of faster decline in not only other hereditary aging disorders but also normal aging. In this review, we offer a perspective of FA as a monogenic accelerated aging disorder, citing the latest evidence for its multi-factorial deficiencies underlying its unique clinical and cellular features.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH Biomedical Research Center Building, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: broshr@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Brosh
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH Biomedical Research Center Building, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bellani
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH Biomedical Research Center Building, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Yie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Gerontology, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, NIH Biomedical Research Center Building, 251 Bayview Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. Electronic address: seidmanm@mail.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Seidman
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000502:physiology*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005199:Fanconi Anemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D051856:Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D016615:Telomere / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051856:Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins
keywords: Aging; Bone marrow failure; DNA repair; Epigenetic; Fanconi Anemia; Hematopoietic stem cells; Inflammatory response; Oxidative stress; Telomere