Physiological impact of cell senescence in vivo: Limiting Tissue Damage

In addition to their tumor suppression function, senescent cells also play a beneficial role in non-cancer pathology by limiting tissue fibrosis.   For instance, tissue damage within the liver stimulates the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which hyper- proliferate and secrete extracellular matrix components to form a fibrotic scar.  Hyper- proliferation of HSCs induces cell senescence leading to a reduction in the secretion of ECM proteins and enhanced secretion of ECM degrading proteins, thereby limiting fibrosis.  Senescent HSCs are then eliminated in a timely manner by immune cells such as natural killer (NK) cells.  When the mechanisms leading to NK cell mediated elimination are disabled, fibrosis is increased.  In mice lacking molecular components required for induction of cell senescence, HSCs continue to proliferate, depositing ECM components and elevating the fibrotic response.  Therefore, induction of senescence in HSCs prevents short-term tissue damage by limiting fibrosis.  In addition to the liver, a similar process occurs during tissue repair within the pancreas by senescent pancreatic stellate cells.   In this instance, it was suggested that lymphocytes at the sites of wounds might play a duel-specific role in pancreatic fibrogenesis by triggering both the initiation of wound healing by activating stellate cells and its completion by clearance of senescent stellate cells.

Cell senescence also limits tissue damage at sites of cutaneous wound healing, where secretion of CCN1 induces fibroblast senescence associated with an elevation in the DNA damage response and the activation of p53 and RAC1-NOX1 complex.  The expression of anti-fibrotic genes by CCN1-induced senescent cells prevented excess fibrosis, whereas mice that express a senescence-defective Ccn1 mutant resulted in elevated fibrosis.    CCN1 also appears to play a role in the regression of liver fibrosis through induction of cell senescence in HSCs.  Therefore, cell senescence is a mechanism that limits tissue damage in multiple tissues and serves not only to restrain the damage, but also to initiate the repair and return the tissue to the pre-damaged state.

Link: Dominick G. A. Burton, Valery Krizhanovsky. Physiological and pathological consequences of cellular senescence. CMLS (2014) 

Physiological and pathological consequences of cellular senescence

Abstract

Cellular senescence, a permanent state of cell cycle arrest accompanied by a complex phenotype, is an essential mechanism that limits tumorigenesis and tissue damage. In physiological conditions, senescent cells can be removed by the immune system, facilitating tumor suppression and wound healing. However, as we age, senescent cells accumulate in tissues, either because an aging immune system fails to remove them, the rate of senescent cell formation is elevated, or both. If senescent cells persist in tissues, they have the potential to paradoxically promote pathological conditions. Cellular senescence is associated with an enhanced pro-survival phenotype, which most likely promotes persistence of senescent cells in vivo. This phenotype may have evolved to favor facilitation of a short-term wound healing, followed by the elimination of senescent cells by the immune system. In this review, we provide a perspective on the triggers, mechanisms and physiological as well as pathological consequences of senescent cells.

LINK: Burton and Krizhanovsky (2014) Physiological and pathological consequences of cellular senescence

Premature lung aging and cellular senescence in the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and COPD/emphysema

Abstract

Different anatomic and physiological changes occur in the lung of aging people that can affect pulmonary functions and different pulmonary diseases heterogeneously, including deadly diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)/emphysema and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and can be related to an acceleration of the aging process. The individual genetic background, as well as the exposure to a variety of toxic substances (cigarette smoke in primis) can contribute significantly to accelerating pulmonary senescence. Premature aging can impair lung function by different ways: by interfering specifically with tissue repair mechanisms after damage, thus perturbing the correct crosstalk between mesenchymal and epithelial components; by inducing systemic and/or local alteration of the immune system, thus impairing the complex mechanisms of lung defense against infections; and by stimulating a local and/or systemic inflammatory condition (inflammaging). According to recently proposed pathogenic models in COPD and IPF, premature cellular senescence likely affects distinct progenitors cells, leading to stem cell exhaustion. Mesenchymal stem cells in COPD, alveolar epithelial precursors in IPF. In this review, the large amount of data supporting this pathogenic view are discussed, with emphasis on the possible molecular and cellular mechanisms leading to the severe parenchymal remodeling that characterizes, in different ways, these deadly diseases.

Link to Article: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1931524413001825