Physiological development is the process by which the body's organs, tissues, cells, and regulatory systems form, mature, and change in function over the lifespan, including the age-associated physiological changes that follow maturity. It matters because normal function depends on tightly coordinated developmental …
Physiological development is the process by which the body's organs, tissues, cells, and regulatory systems form, mature, and change in function over the lifespan, including the age-associated physiological changes that follow maturity. It matters because normal function depends on tightly coordinated developmental and homeostatic signaling, and because the decline of these processes with age underlies losses in regeneration, repair, and tissue performance. Key aspects include the signaling pathways that govern cell proliferation and self-renewal, the role of growth-factor and stress-activated kinase cascades in maintaining or losing regenerative capacity, the emergence of a chronic, low-grade inflammatory milieu with aging, and the molecular regulators such as microRNAs that fine-tune these states. Studying physiological development across the lifespan informs understanding of healthy maturation as well as degenerative and regenerative conditions. Related open-access research in this collection reviews the mechanisms by which aging skeletal muscle stem cells lose self-renewal and regenerative proliferation, detailing the signaling axis and physiological changes that drive this decline.
1 peer-reviewed article, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.