Out with the old, in with the new: senescence in development

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleInvitedpeer-review

Abstract

Cellular senescence is a ubiquitous stress response that restricts the proliferative capacity of cells. During ageing, senescent cells accumulate in various tissues leading to a number of age-related pathologies and physiological decline. Previously thought to be a process restricted to adult organisms, cellular senescence has been recently demonstrated to occur during embryonic development of animals ranging from fish to mammals. Together, these studies suggest that developmentally programmed senescence is a transient but intrinsic biological process that contributes to the remodelling of developing structures by promoting immune-mediated cell clearance of particular cell populations or modifying the tissue microenvironment. These observations have important implications for the evolutionary origins of this essential, yet paradoxical mechanism.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)74-80
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent opinion in cell biology
Volume55
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2018
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85049652084

Keywords

Keywords

  • Aging/physiology, Animals, Biological Evolution, Cellular Senescence, Embryonic Development, Humans, Stress, Physiological