Vascular cell senescence and vascular aging

Vascular cells have a finite lifespan when cultured in vitro and eventually enter an irreversible growth arrest called "cellular senescence". A number of genetic animal models carrying targeted disruption of the genes that confer the protection against senescence in vitro have been reported to exhibit the phenotypes of premature aging. Similar mutations have been found in the patients with premature aging syndromes. Many of the changes in senescent vascular cell behavior are consistent with the changes seen in age-related vascular diseases. We have demonstrated the presence of senescent vascular cells in human atherosclerotic lesions but not in non-atherosclerotic lesions. Moreover, these cells express increased levels of pro-inflammatory molecules and decreased levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, suggesting that cellular senescence in vivo contributes to the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis. One widely discussed hypothesis of senescence is the telomere hypothesis. An increasing body of evidence has established the critical role of the telomere in vascular cell senescence. Another line of evidence suggests that telomere-independent mechanisms are also involved in vascular cell senescence. Activation of Ras, an important signaling molecule involved in atherogenic stimuli, induces vascular cell senescence and thereby promotes vascular inflammation in vitro and in vivo. It is possible that mitogenic-signaling pathways induce telomere-dependent and telomere-independent senescence, which results in vascular dysfunction. Further understanding of the mechanism underlying cellular senescence will provide insights into the potential of antisenescence therapy for vascular aging.     

Antisenescence as a novel therapeutic strategy for vascular aging

Vascular cells have a finite lifespan when cultured in vitro and eventually enter an irreversible growth arrest state called "cellular senescence." It has been reported that many of the changes in senescent vascular cell behavior are consistent with the changes seen in age-related vascular diseases. Recently, senescent vascular cells have been demonstrated in human atherosclerotic lesions but not non-atherosclerotic lesions. Moreover, these cells express increased levels of proinflammatory molecules and decreased levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, suggesting that cellular senescence in vivo contributes to the pathogenesis of human atherosclerosis. One widely discussed hypothesis of senescence is the telomere hypothesis. An increasing body of evidence has established the critical role of the telomere in vascular cell senescence. More recent evidence suggests that telomere-independent mechanisms are implicated in vascular cell senescence. Activation of Ras, an important signaling molecule involved in atherogenic stimuli, induces vascular cell senescence and thereby promotes vascular inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Constitutive activation of Akt also induces vascular cell senescence. This novel role of Akt in regulating the cellular lifespan may contribute to various human diseases including atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. Although a causal link between vascular aging and vascular cell senescence remains elusive, a large body of data is consistent with cellular senescence contributing to age-associated vascular disorders. This review considers the clinical relevance of vascular cell senescence in vivo and discusses the potential of antisenescence therapy for human atherosclerosis.     

Melatonin and the theories of aging: a critical appraisal of melatonin's role in antiaging mechanisms

The classic theories of aging such as the free radical theory, including its mitochondria‐related versions, have largely focused on a few specific processes of senescence. Meanwhile, numerous interconnections have become apparent between age‐dependent changes previously thought to proceed more or less independently. Increased damage by free radicals is not only linked to impairments of mitochondrial function, but also to inflammaging as it occurs during immune remodeling and by release of proinflammatory cytokines from mitotically arrested, DNA‐damaged cells that exhibit the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Among other effects, SASP can cause mutations in stem cells that reduce the capacity for tissue regeneration or, in worst case, lead to cancer stem cells. Oxidative stress has also been shown to promote telomere attrition. Moreover, damage by free radicals is connected to impaired circadian rhythmicity. Another nexus exists between cellular oscillators and metabolic sensing, in particular to the aging‐suppressor SIRT1, which acts as an accessory clock protein. Melatonin, being a highly pleiotropic regulator molecule, interacts directly or indirectly with all the processes mentioned. These influences are critically reviewed, with emphasis on data from aged organisms and senescence‐accelerated animals. The sometimes‐controversial findings obtained either in a nongerontological context or in comparisons of tumor with nontumor cells are discussed in light of evidence obtained in senescent organisms. Although, in mammals, lifetime extension by melatonin has been rarely documented in a fully conclusive way, a support of healthy aging has been observed in rodents and is highly likely in humans.     

Environmental stress,ageing and glial cell senescence: a novel mechanistic link to Parkinson's disease?

Exposure to environmental toxins is associated with a variety of age‐related diseases including cancer and neurodegeneration. For example, in Parkinson's disease (PD), chronic environmental exposure to certain toxins has been linked to the age‐related development of neuropathology. Neuronal damage is believed to involve the induction of neuroinflammatory events as a consequence of glial cell activation. Cellular senescence is a potent anti‐cancer mechanism that occurs in a number of proliferative cell types and causes the arrest of proliferation of cells at risk of malignant transformation following exposure to potentially oncogenic stimuli. With age, senescent cells accumulate and express a senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP; that is the robust secretion of many inflammatory cytokines, growth factors and proteases). Whereas cell senescence in peripheral tissues has been causally linked to a number of age‐related pathologies, little is known about the induction of cellular senescence and the SASP in the brain. On the basis of recently reported findings, we propose that environmental stressors associated with PD may act in part by eliciting senescence and the SASP within non neuronal glial cells in the ageing brain, thus contributing to the characteristic decline in neuronal integrity that occurs in this disorder.     

Immunosurveillance of senescent cells: the bright side of the senescence program

Cellular senescence, a state of irreversible cell cycle arrest, is a robust mechanism used to mediate tumor suppression and control the tissue damage response following short-term insults. In addition, the senescence associated-secretory phenotype (SASP), one of the most profound characteristics of the senescence program, facilitates the immunosurveillance of senescent cells. The SASP includes many chemokines, cytokines and adhesion molecules that can recruit and activate distinct immune cells from both the innate and adaptive immune system such as NK cells, monocytes/macrophages and T cells. Furthermore, senescent cells can upregulate specific immune ligands on their cell surface that can mediate the recognition of these cells by specific immune cell subsets and lead to activation of the immune cells. Consequently, the activated immune cells engage explicit regulatory mechanisms to eliminate senescent cells. For example, recent work from our laboratory showed that perforin-granzyme exocytosis mediates NK-cell killing of senescent cells. Here, we summarize the current advances in our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying specific immune-mediated elimination of senescent cells.     

Senescence associated secretory phenotype profile from primary lung mice fibroblasts depends on the senescence induction stimuli

Cellular senescence is a multifactorial phenomenon of growth arrest and distorted function, which has been recognized as an important feature during tumor suppression mechanisms and a contributor to aging. Senescent cells have an altered secretion pattern called Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP) that comprises a complex mix of factors including cytokines, growth factors, chemokines, and matrix metalloproteinases. SASP has been related with local inflammation that leads to cellular transformation and neurodegenerative diseases. Various pathways for senescence induction have been proposed; the most studied is replicative senescence due to telomere attrition called replicative senescence (RS). However, senescence can be prematurely achieved when cells are exposed to diverse stimuli such as oxidative stress (stress-induced premature senescence, SIPS) or proteasome inhibition (proteasome inhibition-induced premature senescence, PIIPS). SASP has been characterized in RS and SIPS but not in PIIPS. Hence, our aim was to determine SASP components in primary lung fibroblasts obtained from CD-1 mice induced to senescence by PIIPS and compare them to RS and SIPS. Our results showed important variations in the 62 cytokines analyzed, while SIPS and RS showed an increase in the secretion of most cytokines, and in PIIPS only 13 were incremented. Variations in glutathione-redox balance were also observed in SIPS and RS, and not in PIIPS. All senescence types SASP displayed a pro-inflammatory profile and increased proliferation in L929 mice fibroblasts exposed to SASP. However, the behavior observed was not exactly the same, suggesting that the senescence induction pathway might encompass dissimilar responses in adjacent cells and promote different outcomes.     

Rejuvenation of senescent cells—The road to postponing human aging and age-related disease?

Cellular senescence is the state of permanent inhibition of cell proliferation. Replicative senescence occurs due to the end replication problem and shortening telomeres with each cell division leading to DNA damage response (DDR). The number of short telomeres increases with age and age-related pathologies. Stress induced senescence, although not accompanied by attrition of telomeres, is also attributed to the DDR induced by irreparable DNA lesions in telomeric DNA. Senescent cells characterized by the presence of γH2AX, the common marker of double DNA strand breaks, and other senescence markers including activity of SA-β-gal, accumulate in tissues of aged animals and humans as well as at sites of pathology. It is believed that cellular senescence evolved as a cancer barrier since non-proliferating senescent cells cannot be transformed to neoplastic cells. On the other hand senescent cells favor cancer development, just like other age-related pathologies, by creating a low grade inflammatory state due to senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Reversal/inhibition of cellular senescence could prolong healthy life span, thus many attempts have been undertaken to influence cellular senescence. The two main approaches are genetic and pharmacological/nutritional modifications of cell fate. The first one concerns cell reprogramming by induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which in vitro is effective even in cells undergoing senescence, or derived from very old or progeroid patients. The second approach concerns modification of senescence signaling pathways just like TOR-induced by pharmacological or with natural agents. However, knowing that aging is unavoidable we cannot expect its elimination, but prolonging healthy life span is a goal worth serious consideration.     

Pathophysiology of vascular calcification: Pivotal role of cellular senescence in vascular smooth muscle cells

The accumulation of senescent cells within tissues can potentially lead to biological dysfunction and manifestation of disease associated with ageing. The majority of senescent cells display a commonly altered secretome similar to a wound healing response (termed the senescence-associated secretory phenotype or SASP), which could have deleterious implications on the tissue microenvironment. However, senescent cells also appear to have a cell-type (or even cell-strain) exclusive senescent phenotype (CESP), an area of research that is underexplored. One such CESP is the pro-calcificatory phenotype recently reported in senescent vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Senescent VSMCs have been shown to overexpress genes and proteins (including RUNX-2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen and BMP-2) associated with osteoblasts, leading to partial osteoblastic transdifferentiation. As such, it has been suggested that senescent VSMCs contribute to cardiovascular dysfunction through induction of vascular calcification. This review discusses recent findings on VSMC senescence and their potential role in the pathophysiology of vascular calcification.     

Biology of extracellular vesicles secreted from senescent cells as senescence‐associated secretory phenotype factors

The increase of the morbidity rate in age‐related diseases, such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, arteriosclerosis and pulmonary fibrosis, has become a profound social problem. Recent reports have pointed out that senescent cells accumulated in the body with aging might cause these aged‐related pathologies. Cellular senescence is known as an irreversible cell cycle arrest induced by various stresses, and can function as an important tumor suppression mechanism to exclude the premalignant cells. In contrast, senescent cells provoke the phenomenon, termed the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype, which causes the secretion of various inflammatory proteins, and it is at risk of facilitating chronic inflammation and oncogenic transformation to surrounding cells. We have previously reported that senescent cells secrete not only inflammatory proteins, but also extracellular vesicles (EV). EV include various cellular components, such as proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, which are proven to be important factors for cell‐to‐cell communication. Recent evidence suggests that EV secreted from senescent cells might contribute to tumorigenesis and age‐associated pathologies as new senescence‐associated secretory phenotype factors. In addition, we also showed that the EV secretion pathway is one of the essential defense mechanisms to maintain cellular homeostasis by excretion of intercellular toxic substances into extracellular space. Herein, this review shows the biological functions of EV secreted from senescent cells. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2020; ??: ??–?? .     

衰老与胰岛β细胞功能

胰岛β细胞衰老导致的胰岛功能衰退在2型糖尿病的发病机制中起重要作用.衰老的胰岛β细胞复制受限.出现形态及功能改变,即细胞体积增大、小规则,胰岛素分泌模式受损.导致B细胞衰老的机制复杂,包括端粒缩短学说、氧化应激敛DNA损伤学说、致癌基因表达上调学说等.新近研究发现,β-半乳糖苷酶活性增加、p16 1NK4a表达上调及衰老相关的异染色质位点(SAHF)等可作为胰岛β细胞衰老的非特异性生物学标记物,可能对早期预测胰岛β细胞功能衰退、预防2型糖尿病起重要作用.     

Cellular senescence: from growth arrest to immunogenic conversion

Cellular senescence was first reported in human fibroblasts as a state of stable in vitro growth arrest following extended culture. Since that initial observation, a variety of other phenotypic characteristics have been shown to co-associate with irreversible cell cycle exit in senescent fibroblasts. These include (1) a pro-inflammatory secretory response, (2) the up-regulation of immune ligands, (3) altered responses to apoptotic stimuli and (4) promiscuous gene expression (stochastic activation of genes possibly as a result of chromatin remodeling). Many features associated with senescent fibroblasts appear to promote conversion to an immunogenic phenotype that facilitates self-elimination by the immune system. Pro-inflammatory cytokines can attract and activate immune cells, the presentation of membrane bound immune ligands allows for specific recognition and promiscuous gene expression may function to generate an array of tissue restricted proteins that could subsequently be processed into peptides for presentation via MHC molecules. However, the phenotypes of senescent cells from different tissues and species are often assumed to be broadly similar to those seen in senescent human fibroblasts, but the data show a more complex picture in which the growth arrest mechanism, tissue of origin and species can all radically modulate this basic pattern. Furthermore, well-established triggers of cell senescence are often associated with a DNA damage response (DDR), but this may not be a universal feature of senescent cells. As such, we discuss the role of DNA damage in regulating an immunogenic response in senescent cells, in addition to discussing less established “atypical” senescent states that may occur independent of DNA damage.     

Metformin and the ATM DNA damage response (DDR): accelerating the onset of stress-induced senescence to boost protection against cancer

By activating the ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM)-mediated DNA Damage Response (DDR), the AMPK agonist metformin might sensitize cells against further damage, thus mimicking the precancerous stimulus that induces an intrinsic barrier against carcinogenesis. Herein, we present the new hypothesis that metformin might function as a tissue sweeper of pre-malignant cells before they gain stem cell/tumor initiating properties. Because enhanced glycolysis (the Warburg effect) plays a causal role in the gain of stem-like properties of tumor-initiating cells by protecting them from the pro-senescent effects of mitochondrial respiration-induced oxidative stress, metformin's ability to disrupt the glycolytic metabotype may generate a cellular phenotype that is metabolically protected against immortalization. The bioenergetic crisis imposed by metformin, which may involve enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative stress, can lower the threshold for cellular senescence by pre-activating an ATM-dependent pseudo-DDR. This allows an accelerated onset of cellular senescence in response to additional oncogenic stresses. By pushing cancer cells to use oxidative phosphorylation instead of glycolysis, metformin can rescue cell surface major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) expression that is downregulated by oncogenic transformation, a crucial adaptation of tumor cells to avoid the adaptive immune response by cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs). Aside from restoration of tumor immunosurveillance at the cell-autonomous level, metformin can activate a senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) to reinforce senescence growth arrest, which might trigger an immune-mediated clearance of the senescent cells in a non-cell-autonomous manner. By diminishing the probability of escape from the senescence anti-tumor barrier, the net effect of metformin should be a significant decrease in the accumulation of dysfunctional, pre-malignant cells in tissues, including those with the ability to initiate tumors. As life-long or late-life removal of senescent cells has been shown to prevent or delay the onset or progression of age-related disorders, the tissue sweeper function of metformin may inhibit the malignant/metastatic progression of pre-malignant/senescent tumor cells and increase the human lifespan.     

Premature senescence of human endothelial cells induced by inhibition of glutaminase

Cellular senescence is now recognized as an important mechanism of tumor suppression, and the accumulation of senescent cells may contribute to the aging of various human tissues. Alterations of the cellular energy metabolism are considered key events in tumorigenesis and are also known to play an important role for aging processes in lower eukaryotic model systems. In this study, we addressed senescence-associated changes in the energy metabolism of human endothelial cells, using the HUVEC model of in vitro senescence. We observed a drastic reduction in cellular ATP levels in senescent endothelial cells. Although consumption of glucose and production of lactate significantly increased in senescent cells, no correlation was found between both metabolite conversion rates, neither in young endothelial cells nor in the senescent cells, which indicates that glycolysis is not the main energy source in HUVEC. On the other hand, glutamine consumption was increased in senescent HUVEC and inhibition of glutaminolysis by DON, a specific inhibitor of glutaminase, led to a significant reduction in the proliferative capacity of both early passage and late passage cells. Moreover, inhibition of glutaminase activity induced a senescent-like phenotype in young HUVEC within two passages. Together, the data indicate that glutaminolysis is an important energy source in endothelial cells and that alterations in this pathway play a role in endothelial cell senescence.     

Melatonin regulates PARP1 to control the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in human fetal lung fibroblast cells

Cellular senescence is an important tumor‐suppressive mechanism. However, acquisition of a senescence‐associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in senescent cells has deleterious effects on the tissue microenvironment and, paradoxically, promotes tumor progression. In a drug screen, we identified melatonin as a novel SASP suppressor in human cells. Strikingly, melatonin blunts global SASP gene expression upon oncogene‐induced senescence (OIS). Moreover, poly(ADP‐ribose) polymerase‐1 (PARP‐1), a sensor of DNA damage, was identified as a new melatonin‐dependent regulator of SASP gene induction upon OIS. Here, we report two different but potentially coherent epigenetic strategies for melatonin regulation of SASP. The interaction between the telomeric repeat‐containing RNA (TERRA) and PARP‐1 stimulates the SASP, which was attenuated by 67.9% (illustrated by the case of IL8) by treatment with melatonin. Through binding to macroH2A1.1, PARP‐1 recruits CREB‐binding protein (CBP) to mediate acetylation of H2BK120, which positively regulates the expression of target SASP genes, and this process is interrupted by melatonin. Consequently, the findings provide novel insight into melatonin's epigenetic role via modulating PARP‐1 in suppression of SASP gene expression in OIS‐induced senescent cells. Our studies identify melatonin as a novel anti‐SASP molecule, define PARP‐1 as a new target by which melatonin regulates SASP, and establish a new epigenetic paradigm for a pharmacological mechanism by which melatonin interrupts PARP‐1 interaction with the telomeric long noncoding RNA(lncRNA) or chromatin.     

Senescent human hepatocytes express a unique secretory phenotype and promote macrophage migration

AIM: To develop a model of stress-induced senescence to study the hepatocyte senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP).METHODS: Hydrogen peroxide treatment was used to induce senescence in the human HepG2 hepatocyte cell line. Senescence was confirmed by cytochemical staining for a panel of markers including Ki67, p21, heterochromatin protein 1β, and senescence-associated-β-galactosidase activity. Senescent hepatocytes were characterised by gene expression arrays and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and conditioned media was used in proteomic analyses, a human chemokine protein array, and cell migration assays to characterise the composition and function of the hepatocyte SASP.RESULTS: Senescent hepatocytes induced classical markers of senescence (p21, heterochromatin protein 1β, and senescence-associated-β-galactosidase activity); and downregulated the proliferation marker, Ki67. Hepatocyte senescence induced a 4.6-fold increase in total secreted protein (P = 0.06) without major alterations in the protein profile. Senescence-induced genes were identified by microarray (Benjamini Hochberg-corrected P < 0.05); and, consistent with the increase in secreted protein, gene ontology analysis revealed a significant enrichment of secreted proteins among inducible genes. The hepatocyte SASP included characteristic factors such as interleukin (IL)-8 and IL-6, as well as novel components such as SAA4, IL-32 and Fibrinogen, which were validated by qPCR and/or chemokine protein array. Senescent hepatocyte-conditioned medium elicited migration of inflammatory (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, GM-CSF-derived), but not non-inflammatory (CSF-1-derived) human macrophages (P = 0.022), which could contribute to a pro-inflammatory microenvironment in vivo, or facilitate the clearance of senescent cells.CONCLUSION: Our novel model of hepatocyte senescence provides insights into mechanisms by which senescent hepatocytes may promote chronic liver disease pathogenesis.     

Targeting Senescent Cells in Fibrosis: Pathology,Paradox, and Practical Considerations

Purpose of the Review

Senescent cells have the capacity to both effect and limit fibrosis. Senotherapeutics target senescent cells to improve aging conditions. Here, we review the contexts in which senescent cells mediate wound healing and fibrotic pathology and the potential utility of senotherapeutic drugs for treatment of fibrotic disease.

Recent Findings

Multi-action and temporal considerations influence deleterious versus beneficial actions of senescent cells. Acutely generated senescent cells can limit proliferation, and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) contains factors that can facilitate tissue repair. Long-lived senescent cells that evade clearance or are generated outside of programmed remodeling can deplete the progenitor pool to exhaust regenerative capacity and through the SASP, stimulate continual activation, leading to disorganized tissue architecture, fibrotic damage, sterile inflammation, and induction of bystander senescence.

Summary

Senescent cells contribute to fibrotic pathogenesis in multiple tissues, including the liver, kidney, and lung. Senotherapeutics may be a viable strategy for treatment of a range of fibrotic conditions.

     

The role of senescence,telomere dysfunction and shelterin in vascular aging

In the United States and other westernized nations, CVDs are the leading cause of death in adults over 65 years of age. Large artery stiffness and endothelial dysfunction are increased with age and age‐associated arterial dysfunction is an important antecedent of CVDs. One age‐associated change that may contribute to vascular dysfunction and CVD risk is an increase in the number of resident senescent cells in the vasculature. Senescent cells display a pro‐oxidant, pro‐inflammatory phenotype known as the SASP. However, the mechanisms that drive the SASP and the vascular aging phenotype remain elusive. A putative mechanism is the involvement of oxidative stress and inflammation in telomere function. Telomeres are the end caps of chromosomes which are maintained by a six‐protein complex known as shelterin. Disruption of shelterin can uncap telomeres and induce cellular senescence. Accordingly, in this review, we propose that oxidative stress and inflammation disrupt shelterin in vascular cells, driving telomere dysfunction and that this mechanism may be responsible for the induction of SASP. The proposed mechanisms may represent some of the initial changes that lead to vascular dysfunction in advanced age.     

Differential regulation of apoptotic cell death in senescent human cells

Aging of human cells can be reproduced in monolayer cultures, revealing the phenotype of replicative senescence. It was shown that diploid human fibroblasts enter a stable growth arrest phenotype at the end of their lifespan and, in particular, these cells are resistant to various apoptotic stimuli. In contrast, human endothelial cells from the umbilical vein (HUVEC) acquire a proapoptotic phenotype when reaching senescence and this probably results from reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced damage and associated signaling. Ceramides were shown to accumulate in senescent fibroblasts and are also known as potent regulators of apoptotic cell death. To further study age-associated changes in proneness to apoptosis between fibroblasts and endothelial cells, both cell types were challenged by administration of exogenous ceramide and apoptotic cell death was determined. While ceramide can efficiently induce apoptosis in both young and senescent cells of either histotype, quantitative evaluation of the data show that senescent fibroblasts are more resistant to apoptosis induction when compared to their young counterparts, whereas in the case of endothelial cells proneness for apoptosis is increased in senescent cells. Together, these data suggest significant differences in the regulation of apoptosis associated with senescence in fibroblasts and endothelial cells.     

HBx triggers either cellular senescence or cell proliferation depending on cellular phenotype

Replicative senescence is a hallmark of chronic liver diseases including chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, whereas HBV‐encoded oncoproteins HBx and preS2 have been found to overcome senescence. HBx possesses a C‐terminal truncation mainly in hepatocellular carcinomas but also in noncancerous liver tissues. Here, by cell counting, BrdU incorporation, MTT proliferation assay, cell cycle analysis, SA‐βgal staining and Western blotting in primary and malignant cells, we investigated the effect of HBx C‐terminal mutants on cellular senescence. HBx C‐terminal mutants were found to trigger cellular senescence in primary MRC5 cells, and malignant liver cells Huh7, and SK‐Hep1. In contrast, these mutants promoted the proliferation of HepG2 malignant liver cells. The pro‐senescent effect of HBx relied on an increased p16^INK4a and p21^Waf1/Cip1 expression, and a decreased phosphorylation of Rb. Together, these results suggest that the two main variants of HBx present in HBV‐infected liver possess opposite effects on cellular senescence that depend on the phenotype of infected cells.     

Further studies on the genetic and biochemical basis of cellular senescence

Cell fusion analysis, exploiting the fact that the phenotype of immortality is recessive in hybrids, has allowed the assignment of 26 different immortal human cell lines to at least four complementation groups for indefinite division. This indicates that there are at least four sets of genes or processes involved in the mechanisms leading to cellular senescence. We have also observed alterations in gene expression accompanying senescence that induce the the expression of a protein inhibitor of DNA synthesis, expression of new cell surface epitopes as identified by monoclonal antibodies specific to senescent cells, and changes in the extracellular matrix. We have yet to determine whether these changes in gene expression are casual or the result of senescence. The assignment of immortal cell lines to specific complementation groups now allow for a focused approach to identify the normal growth regulatory genes that have been modified to yield immortal cells and determine whether certain senescent cell specific patterns of gene expression continue to be expressed in immortal cells within a group. In addition, the isolation of senescent cell-specific antibodies provides for the first time the tools with which to probe the relationship between in vitro and in vivo aging.