A Single Cell Transcriptomic Atlas Characterizes Aging Tissues in the Mouse

Aging is characterized by a progressive loss of physiological integrity, leading to impaired function and increased vulnerability to death 1 . Despite rapid advances over recent years, many of the molecular and cellular processes which underlie progressive loss of healthy physiology are poorly understood 2 . To gain a better insight into these processes we have created a single cell transcriptomic atlas across the life span of Mus musculus which includes data from 23 tissues and organs. We discovered cell-specific changes occurring across multiple cell types and organs, as well as age related changes in the cellular composition of different organs. Using single-cell transcriptomic data we were able to assess cell type specific manifestations of different hallmarks of aging, such as senescence 3 , genomic instability 4 and changes in the organism’s immune system 2 . This Tabula Muris Senis provides a wealth of new molecular information about how the most significant hallmarks of aging are reflected in a broad range of tissues and cell types.