Epigenetic aspects of cellular senescence.
The limited proliferative potential of normal cells in culture has been proposed as a model for cellular aging in vivo. It is clear that cellular aging has a genetic component but epigenetic processes could also be involved. Insight gained during years of intensive study suggests cellular aging is a multi-step process and that cells possess a counting mechanism that determines the number of doublings the cells can complete. In this paper, we review evidence suggesting a role for epigenetic processes in cell senescence and discuss the possible insights that might be provided by experiments designed to induce a premature senescent like state.
Young
J
J
Huffington Center on Aging, MS M320, Baylor College of Medicine, 1 Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Smith
J R
JR
D001683:Biological Clocks; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015398:Signal Transduction