Aberrant signaling and senescence associated protein degradation
1Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3J7, Canada.
Abstract:
Senescent cells accumulate with age and contribute to pathologies associated to old age. The senescent program can be induced by pro-cancer stimuli or is developmentally controlled. In cells forced to senesce by expression of oncogenes or short telomeres, aberrant activation of the ERK/MAP kinase signaling pathway leads to selective protein degradation by the ubiquitin proteasome system. The proteins affected by this process control key cellular processes known to be defective in senescent cells. We discuss the evidence supporting a general role for aberrant signaling and senescence associated protein degradation for organismal aging.
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