Unexpected pieces to the senescence puzzle

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Cellular senescence was initially defined as a state of limited cell division in vitro.
• Emerging evidence highlights the role of senescence in tumor suppression in vivo.
• The mechanisms enforcing senescence, particularly in vivo, are still being elucidated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of secreted proteins in enforcing the cellular senescence response.
• To identify novel contributors to the tumor-suppressing senescence state.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of recent studies published in Cell (Acosta et al., 2008; Kuilman et al., 2008; Wajapeyee et al., 2008).
• Focus on the identification and function of secreted proteins involved in senescence.

Main Results:

• Three recent studies demonstrate that secreted proteins are critical for enforcing cellular senescence.
• These secreted factors represent unanticipated contributors to the senescence-driven tumor suppression.

Conclusions:

• Secreted proteins play a significant role in establishing and maintaining the tumor-suppressive cellular senescence phenotype.
• These findings advance our understanding of senescence as a key anti-cancer mechanism.