Michalis Averof

Cells in an ageing organism gradually lose the ability to perform important cellular functions and to respond to stress. Certain privileged populations of cells, such as germ cells, are able to escape ageing. It is uncertain if other types of cells that contribute to tissue renewal, such as stem cells, are similarly protected from ageing.
Many animals have the ability to regenerate body parts that are lost through injury. Regeneration restores both the number of cells and the diversity of cell types of the lost tissue, by mobilizing specific populations of progenitor cells. It also restores pattern, giving rise to well-proportioned and functional organs that are virtually indistinguishable from those of unharmed animals. This project explores whether regeneration can restore the consequences of ageing and how one could assess that experimentally.
We are establishing genetic tools to study limb regeneration in a small crustacean, named Parhyale hawaiensis. Adult Parhyale can completely regenerate their limbs within a week. We recently identified a number of genes that are differentially expressed in young versus aged Parhyale limbs. These genes will serve as markers to assess whether regenerated limbs exhibit the same degree of senescence as their non-regenerated counterparts.