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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
10:10
Preparation and Culture of Myogenic Precursor Cells/Primary Myoblasts from Skeletal Muscle of Adult and Aged Humans
Published on: February 16, 2017
Cellular senescence in aging primates.
Utz Herbig1, Mark Ferreira, Laura Condel
1Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, and Biochemistry, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|February 4, 2006
Summary
Cellular senescence, an irreversible cell cycle arrest, increases in aging baboon skin. This study confirms senescent fibroblasts accumulate with age, contributing to organismal aging.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cell Biology
- Dermatology
Background:
- Organismal aging involves functional decline.
- Replicative senescence is a limited cell division capacity in mammalian somatic cells.
- The role of cellular senescence in organismal aging remains debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the contribution of cellular senescence to organismal aging.
- To examine telomere dysfunction as a biomarker for cellular senescence in vivo.
- To quantify senescent cell accumulation in aging primate skin.
Main Methods:
- Studied aging baboons to assess skin fibroblast populations.
- Quantified the percentage of senescent fibroblasts in skin tissue.
- Confirmed senescence using biomarkers like activated ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase and heterochromatinized nuclei.
Main Results:
- Senescent fibroblasts increased exponentially with age in baboon skin.
- In very old baboons, senescent cells comprised over 15% of all skin cells.
- Confirmed senescent cells exhibited activated ATM kinase and heterochromatinized nuclei.
Conclusions:
- Cellular senescence, marked by telomere dysfunction, demonstrably increases in aging primate skin.
- Accumulation of senescent fibroblasts is a feature of organismal aging.
- Findings support the hypothesis that cellular senescence contributes to the aging process.
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