Somatic mutations accumulate with age and have been linked to functional decline and disease. Single-cell analysis of human cartilage samples from donors with and without osteoarthritis shows that somatic mutations accumulate with age, but, in osteoarthritis, they show distinct mutational patterns and slower accumulation, possibly due to DNA-damage-induced chondrocyte death.
- Peijun Ren
- Chen Zheng
- Jan Vijg