Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Replicative Cell Senescence02:15

Replicative Cell Senescence

4.3K
Replicative cell senescence is a property of cells that allows them to divide a finite number of times throughout the organism's lifespan while preventing excessive proliferation. Replicative senescence is associated with the gradual loss of the telomere — short, repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres are bound by a group of proteins to form a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes. Embryonic stem cells express telomerase — an enzyme that adds...
4.3K
Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division01:27

Molecular Factors Affecting Cell Division

3.9K
Several external and internal factors influence the initiation and inhibition of cell division. For instance, the death of nearby cells or the release of human growth hormone (hGH) promotes cell division. In contrast, lack of hGH or crowding of cells can inhibit cell division.
Several proteins function as internal regulators to ensure each cell cycle stage is completed faithfully before proceeding to the next. Regulator molecules may act directly or influence the activity or production of other...
3.9K
Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells02:53

Adaptive Mechanisms in Cancer Cells

7.0K
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...
7.0K
The Effect of Aging on Tissues01:19

The Effect of Aging on Tissues

3.4K
Several body functions deteriorate with age. The external signs of aging are easily identifiable. For example, the skin becomes dry, less elastic, and thins out, forming wrinkles. The skin of the face begins to appear looser due to a decrease in the levels of elastic and collagen fibers in the connective tissue. Additionally, melanin production in the hair follicle decreases with age, resulting in gray hair. Moreover, the senses of sight and hearing decline, so glasses and hearing aids may...
3.4K
Aging01:26

Aging

617
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
617
What is the Cell Cycle?00:56

What is the Cell Cycle?

9.8K
The cell cycle refers to the sequence of events occurring throughout a typical cell’s life. In eukaryotic cells, the somatic cell cycle has two stages: the interphase and the mitotic phase. During interphase, the cell grows, performs its basic metabolic functions, copies its DNA, and prepares for mitotic cell division. Then, during mitosis and cytokinesis, the cell divides its nuclear and cytoplasmic materials, respectively. This generates two daughter cells that are identical to the...
9.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Distributed Clonal Deletion Prevents Autoimmune Disease Progression.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

PGC-1α agonism via oral administration of ZLN005 induces fetal hemoglobin and is antisickling in sickle mice.

Blood advances·2026
Same author

Antitumoral immunity induced by gel ethanol ablation to treat unresectable colorectal cancer metastases in the liver.

PloS one·2026
Same author

Distinct Malignant Cell States and Myeloid Glutamate Signaling Associated with Aggressive Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.

Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research·2026
Same author

True hepatic artery aneurysm repair: anatomical complexity and operative adaptability comparing open versus endovascular approach.

HPB : the official journal of the International Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association·2026
Same author

Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres in Malignant Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Neoplasms: Correlation With Molecular Features Including ATRX Gene Mutation Status.

Modern pathology : an official journal of the United States and Canadian Academy of Pathology, Inc·2026
Same journal

Tau protein as a regulator of mitochondrial function and dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

A scalable, dividing cell model for the robust propagation and quantification of human sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Epigenetic regulation of mesenchymal BMP signaling directs postnatal organ innervation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Single-shot wide-field biochemical imaging at 1 kHz frame rate.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Morphogenesis and topological evolution of a frustrated nematic liquid crystal under confinement.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

B cell-intrinsic CXCR3 drives efficient generation of ectopic pulmonary germinal center responses to influenza A virus infection.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Evaluating the Effect of SASP Factors on the Proliferation of Cancer Cells Using a Comparative Analysis of Three Distinct Methodologies
08:57

Evaluating the Effect of SASP Factors on the Proliferation of Cancer Cells Using a Comparative Analysis of Three Distinct Methodologies

Published on: September 19, 2025

508

Cell division rates decrease with age, providing a potential explanation for the age-dependent deceleration in cancer

Cristian Tomasetti1,2,3, Justin Poling4, Nicholas J Roberts2,5

  • 1Division of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205; bertvog@gmail.com ctomasetti@jhu.edu.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|September 25, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

As people age, normal stem cell division slows, potentially explaining why cancer incidence decelerates in very old humans. This study observed decreased cell division rates in human tissues but not in mice.

Keywords:
agingcancercell divisionmutation rate

More Related Videos

A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells
09:18

A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells

Published on: August 2, 2013

21.2K
Combining Magnetic Sorting of Mother Cells and Fluctuation Tests to Analyze Genome Instability During Mitotic Cell Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
11:08

Combining Magnetic Sorting of Mother Cells and Fluctuation Tests to Analyze Genome Instability During Mitotic Cell Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: October 16, 2014

12.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 19, 2026

Evaluating the Effect of SASP Factors on the Proliferation of Cancer Cells Using a Comparative Analysis of Three Distinct Methodologies
08:57

Evaluating the Effect of SASP Factors on the Proliferation of Cancer Cells Using a Comparative Analysis of Three Distinct Methodologies

Published on: September 19, 2025

508
A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells
09:18

A Sensitive Method to Quantify Senescent Cancer Cells

Published on: August 2, 2013

21.2K
Combining Magnetic Sorting of Mother Cells and Fluctuation Tests to Analyze Genome Instability During Mitotic Cell Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
11:08

Combining Magnetic Sorting of Mother Cells and Fluctuation Tests to Analyze Genome Instability During Mitotic Cell Aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Published on: October 16, 2014

12.9K

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Stem Cell Biology
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Aging is associated with increased cancer risk, yet incidence decelerates in very old age.
  • Previous data suggested mutation accumulation might slow with age.
  • A potential explanation involves age-related changes in normal stem cell division rates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the hypothesis that normal stem cell division rates decrease with age.
  • To compare age-related changes in cell division across different human tissues.
  • To examine if these changes differ between humans and mice.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluation of cell division rates in human colonic, duodenal, esophageal, and sinonasal tissues.
  • Comparative analysis of cell division rates in aged mice (colon, small intestine, esophagus).

Main Results:

  • Significant decrease in epithelial cell division rates with age observed in all four human tissue types.
  • Cell division rates did not decrease in the colon of aged mice.
  • Minimal decreases in cell division rates were observed in aged mice's small intestine and esophagus.

Conclusions:

  • Human stem cell division significantly decreases with age.
  • This age-related decline in cell division provides a plausible explanation for the observed deceleration in cancer incidence in elderly humans.
  • Differences in aging patterns between human and mouse tissues may explain species-specific cancer incidence trends.