Focus 20 November 2024

Cell senescence

Cell senescence — a state of irreversible cell-growth arrest — has important physiological functions and is a key driver of ageing. The articles in this Focus explore the molecular mechanisms that induce cell senescence, functional consequences for surrounding tissues, emerging therapies to counteract senescent-associated diseases, and recommendations for identifying senescent cells.

Focus content

The senescence-associated secretory phenotype and its physiological and pathological implications

The senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) mediates the tissue effects of senescent cells. This Review discusses the composition, regulation and various biological implications of the SASP and its uses as a biomarker and a target of senomorphic drugs to treat cancer and other age-related conditions.
- Boshi Wang
- Jin Han
- Marco Demaria
Review Article23 Apr 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
Roles of chromatin and genome instability in cellular senescence and their relevance to ageing and related diseases

Heterochromatin loss, telomere attrition and DNA damage induce cellular senescence by eliciting genome instability and innate immunity responses, thereby promoting ageing and age-related diseases. This Review discusses the underlying mechanisms of these processes and emerging cell-senescence therapeutics that target them.
- Zeming Wu
- Jing Qu
- Guang-Hui Liu
Review Article3 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
SenNet recommendations for detecting senescent cells in different tissues

Senescent cells have complex and important roles in cancer and ageing, but they are quite rare and difficult to characterize in tissues in vivo. In this Expert Recommendation, the SenNet Biomarkers Working Group discusses recent advances in detecting and characterizing cellular senescence and provides recommendations for senescence markers in 14 human and mouse tissues.
- Vidyani Suryadevara
- Adam D. Hudgins
- Nicola Neretti
Expert Recommendation3 Jun 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
A nuclear morphology-based machine learning algorithm for senescence detection

In this Tools of the Trade article, Duran (Gil lab) describes the development of novel machine learning algorithms that enable the detection of senescent cells in vitro and in diverse tissues based solely on nuclear morphologeny analysis.
- Imanol Duran
Tools of the Trade23 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
In memoriam Judy Campisi: spreading cellular senescence

In the Journal Club, Fabrizio d’Adda di Fagagna remembers how the work of Judy Campisi changed our understanding of cellular senescence and its effect on physiology and ageing, shaping the future of this research field.
- Fabrizio d’Adda di Fagagna
Journal Club12 Apr 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
The discovery of oncogene-induced senescence

Akiko Takahashi discusses the seminal 1997 paper by Serrano et al. who found that oncogene activation results in a similar phenotype to replicative senescence, establishing the connection between senescence and cancer.
- Akiko Takahashi
Journal Club9 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
When senescence generates pluripotent stem cells

Senescent cells in the amputated head of the cnidarian Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus drive the reprogramming of somatic cells into pluripotent stem cells, which are required for full body regeneration.
- Miria Ricchetti
Journal Club24 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
The prompt to discover senolytics

James Kirkland discusses how work by Norman Sharpless and colleagues, published in 2004, paved the way for the development of senolytics, which are now in early phase clinical trials for the treatment of multiple disorders.
- James L. Kirkland
Journal Club23 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
Molecular tools for analysing in vivo senescence

Enrichment of senescent cells from organs holds great promise for studying cell senescence and ageing, and for identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities.
- Allison B. Herman
- Myriam Gorospe
Journal Club14 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
Goodbye, senescent cells: CAR-T cells unleashed to fight ageing

Raffaella Di Micco discusses the importance of a 2020 study in which CAR-T cells were engineered to eliminate senescent cells.
- Raffaella Di Micco
Journal Club16 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
IL-11 as a master regulator of ageing

Ana O’Loghlen highlights a recent study that indicates that inhibiting the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-11 has anti-ageing effects, and how such findings could have implications for the treatment of ageing-associated diseases.
- Ana O’Loghlen
Journal Club16 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology
The double-edged sword of eliminating senescent cells

Removal of different types of senescent cells can be either beneficial or detrimental to health, with potential consequences to senotherapies.
- Eric Gilson
Journal Club24 Oct 2024 Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology

Cell senescence

Focus content

The senescence-associated secretory phenotype and its physiological and pathological implications

Roles of chromatin and genome instability in cellular senescence and their relevance to ageing and related diseases

SenNet recommendations for detecting senescent cells in different tissues

A nuclear morphology-based machine learning algorithm for senescence detection

In memoriam Judy Campisi: spreading cellular senescence

The discovery of oncogene-induced senescence

When senescence generates pluripotent stem cells

The prompt to discover senolytics

Molecular tools for analysing in vivo senescence

Goodbye, senescent cells: CAR-T cells unleashed to fight ageing

IL-11 as a master regulator of ageing

The double-edged sword of eliminating senescent cells

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