title: Cellular senescence and organismal aging.
abstract: Cellular senescence, first observed and defined using in vitro cell culture studies, is an irreversible cell cycle arrest which can be triggered by a variety of factors. Emerging evidence suggests that cellular senescence acts as an in vivo tumor suppression mechanism by limiting aberrant proliferation. It has also been postulated that cellular senescence can occur independently of cancer and contribute to the physiological processes of normal organismal aging. Recent data have demonstrated the in vivo accumulation of senescent cells with advancing age. Some characteristics of senescent cells, such as the ability to modify their extracellular environment, could play a role in aging and age-related pathology. In this review, we examine current evidence that links cellular senescence and organismal aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
authors.forename: Jessie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Jeyapalan
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sedivy
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D016922:Cellular Senescence; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000378:metabolism; D004194:Disease / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D016615:Telomere / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16