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Updated: May 2, 2026
Induction and Validation of Cellular Senescence in Primary Human Cells
Published on: June 20, 2018
Transcriptomic profiling suggests a role for IGFBP5 in premature senescence of endothelial cells after chronic low
Charlotte Rombouts1, An Aerts, Roel Quintens
1Radiobiology Unit, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK•CEN , Mol , Belgium.
Purpose:
Ionizing radiation has been recognized to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). However, there is no consensus concerning the dose-risk relationship for low radiation doses and a mechanistic understanding of low dose effects is needed.
Material And Methods:
Previously, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were exposed to chronic low dose rate radiation (1.4 and 4.1 mGy/h) during one, three and six weeks which resulted in premature senescence in cells exposed to 4.1 mGy/h. To gain more insight into the underlying signaling pathways, we analyzed gene expression changes in these cells using microarray technology. The obtained data were analyzed in a dual approach, combining single gene expression analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis.
Results:
An early stress response was observed after one week of exposure to 4.1 mGy/h which was replaced by a more inflammation-related expression profile after three weeks and onwards. This early stress response may trigger the radiation-induced premature senescence previously observed in HUVEC irradiated with 4.1 mGy/h. A dedicated analysis pointed to the involvement of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (IGFBP5) signaling in radiation-induced premature senescence.
Conclusion:
Our findings motivate further research on the shape of the dose-response and the dose rate effect for radiation-induced vascular senescence.
