Review: aging muscle shifts from regenerative to degenerative niche
This review argues that skeletal muscle aging reflects disrupted coordination among muscle-resident cell populations, shifting the tissue from a regenerative toward a degenerative niche. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The review says skeletal muscle aging is increasingly seen as a failure of tissue-level coordination, not isolated defects in single cell types. [1]
The review links age-dependent remodeling of several muscle-resident populations to maladaptive signaling circuits and impaired regeneration. [1]
The authors propose rebuilding regenerative communication networks as a framework, not a validated intervention. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Review (abstract only)
- Population / context
- Skeletal muscle tissue and its resident cell populations during aging
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- October 1, 2026
Review frames muscle aging as tissue-level coordination failure
The review states that skeletal muscle aging is increasingly seen as a failure of tissue-level coordination, not merely isolated defects in single cell types. It draws on single-cell, spatial and multimodal omics work showing that aging remodels the abundance, functional states and interactions of muscle-resident populations. The authors summarize evidence for a conceptual shift from a regenerative to a degenerative niche.
Supporting source [1]
Cell populations locked in maladaptive signaling circuits
The review discusses age-dependent remodeling of muscle stem cells, fibro-adipogenic progenitors, immune cells, vascular cells and neuromuscular components. Together, the authors say, these populations disrupt the temporal coordination needed for effective regeneration. Rather than acting independently, they become locked in maladaptive signaling circuits linked to persistent inflammation, fibrosis, senescence, impaired vascular support and neuromuscular dysfunction, which the review says ultimately compromise tissue repair and muscle function.
Supporting source [1]
Inferred versus validated signaling; proposed therapeutic framework
The review distinguishes ligand-receptor interactions inferred from single-cell atlases from signaling pathways functionally validated in vivo, stressing the need to establish causal mechanisms of intercellular communication. It discusses emerging strategies aimed at restoring multicellular coordination, such as modulating stromal, immune, vascular and neuromuscular interactions, rather than targeting single cell populations in isolation. The authors propose that rebuilding regenerative communication networks, instead of simply eliminating dysfunctional cells, is a promising framework for interventions against sarcopenia and age-related muscle decline. This is a proposed framework, not a validated intervention.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract of a review; the full text was not reviewed. It summarizes evidence and proposes a framework rather than reporting new primary data. The proposed therapeutic approach is not validated here.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Kim S, Kim MJ, Yang YR. · europepmc.org · October 1, 2026