Replicative senescence of human dermal fibroblasts affects structural and functional aspects of the Golgi apparatus

It is well recognized that the world population is ageing rapidly. Therefore, it is important to understand ageing processes at the cellular and molecular levels to predict the onset of age-related diseases and prevent them. Recent research has focused on the identification of ageing biomarkers, including those associated with the properties of the Golgi apparatus. In this context, Golgi-mediated glycosylation of proteins has been well characterized. Additionally, other studies show that the secretion of many compounds, including pro-inflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes, is modified during ageing, resulting in physical and functional skin degradation. Since the Golgi apparatus is a central organelle of the secretory pathway, we investigated its structural organization in senescent primary human dermal fibroblasts using confocal and electron microscopy. In addition, we monitored the expression of Golgi-related genes in the same cells. Our data showed a marked alteration in the Golgi morphology during replicative senescence. In contrast to its small and compact structure in non-senescent cells, the Golgi apparatus exhibited a large and expanded morphology in senescent fibroblasts. Our data also demonstrated that the expression of many genes related to Golgi structural integrity and function was significantly modified in senescent cells, suggesting a relationship between Golgi apparatus function and ageing.