Methods for Assessing Effects of Wnt/-Catenin Signaling in Senescence of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a main population of stem cells and can differentiate into multiple cell lineages. Recently, MSC transplantation has been applied to repair the malfunctioned tissues. However, increasing evidences show that some MSCs expanded in vitro and in the aged individuals become senescent. Capacity of senescent MSCs in repairing the tissues may decrease significantly. Interestingly, preventing MSC senescence is a powerful potential strategy to delay aging of individuals and promote application of cell therapy for treating aging-related diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to explore mechanisms of MSC senescence in detail. Methods to assess MSC senescence in vitro include induction of senescence, detection of senescent changes and investigation of the molecules involved in senescence. Here we describe the methods to detect MSC senescence induced with old serum and investigate effects of Wnt/β-catenin signaling on MSC senescence.