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Updated: May 15, 2026

Induction and Validation of Cellular Senescence in Primary Human Cells
Published on: June 20, 2018
HJURP regulates cellular senescence in human fibroblasts and endothelial cells via a p53-dependent pathway
Jong-Ik Heo1, Jung Hee Cho, Jae-Ryong Kim
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Aging-associated Vascular Disease Research Center, College of Medicine, Yeungnam University, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
Holliday junction recognition protein (HJURP), a centromere protein-A (CENP-A) histone chaperone, mediates centromere-specific assembly of CENP-A nucleosome, contributing to high-fidelity chromosome segregation during cell division. However, the role of HJURP in cellular senescence of human primary cells remains unclear. We found that the expression levels of HJURP decreased in human dermal fibroblasts and umbilical vein endothelial cells in replicative or premature senescence. Ectopic expression of HJURP in senescent cells partially overcame cell senescence. Conversely, downregulation of HJURP in young cells led to premature senescence. p53 knockdown, but not p16 knockdown, abolished senescence phenotypes caused by HJURP reduction. These data suggest that HJURP plays an important role in the regulation of cellular senescence through a p53-dependent pathway and might contribute to tissue or organismal aging and protection of cellular transformation.
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