Deletion of Atr in young adults eliminates 80-90% of proliferating cells and results in several age-related phenotypes accompanied by a depletion of stem and progenitor cells and exhaustion of tissue renewal and homeostatic capacity [18371340].
Atr mutant mice (so called Seckle mice) exhibit high levels of replicative stress during embryogenesis, when proliferation is widespread, but this is reduced to marginal amounts in postnatal life. In spite of this decrease, adult Seckel mice display accelerated aging, which is further aggravated in the absence of p53. Seckel mice die in less than half a year, exhibit pancytopenia, cachexia and signs of premature aging, including hair graying, kyphosis, osteoporosis, accumulation of fat in the bone marrow, decreased density of hair follicles and thinner epidermis [19620979].
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