title: Cellular senescence in aging primates.
abstract: The aging of organisms is characterized by a gradual functional decline of all organ systems. Mammalian somatic cells in culture display a limited proliferative life span, at the end of which they undergo an irreversible cell cycle arrest known as replicative senescence. Whether cellular senescence contributes to organismal aging has been controversial. We investigated telomere dysfunction, a recently discovered biomarker of cellular senescence, and found that the number of senescent fibroblasts increases exponentially in the skin of aging baboons, reaching >15% of all cells in very old individuals. In addition, the same cells contain activated ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase and heterochromatinized nuclei, confirming their senescent status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
authors.forename: Utz
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Herbig
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Condel
authors.forename: Dee
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sedivy
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D064007:Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000502:physiology*; D004249:DNA Damage; D004261:DNA Replication; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020405:Dermis / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006570:Heterochromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010215:Papio / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006570:Heterochromatin; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D064007:Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases