Passos João F, Simillion Cedric, Hallinan Jennifer, Wipat Anil, von Zglinicki Thomas
Ageing Biology Laboratories and Centre for Integrated Systems Biology of Ageing and Nutrition (CISBAN), Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Age (Dordr). 2009 Dec;31(4):353-63. doi: 10.1007/s11357-009-9108-1.
Cellular senescence might be a tumour suppressing mechanism as well as a contributor to age-related loss of tissue function. It has been characterised classically as the result of the loss of DNA sequences called telomeres at the end of chromosomes. However, recent studies have revealed that senescence is in fact an intricate process, involving the sequential activation of multiple cellular processes, which have proven necessary for the establishment and maintenance of the phenotype. Here, we review some of these processes, namely, the role of mitochondrial function and reactive oxygen species, senescence-associated secreted proteins and chromatin remodelling. Finally, we illustrate the use of systems biology to address the mechanistic, functional and biochemical complexity of senescence.
细胞衰老可能是一种肿瘤抑制机制，也是导致与年龄相关的组织功能丧失的一个因素。传统上，它被认为是染色体末端被称为端粒的DNA序列丢失的结果。然而，最近的研究表明，衰老实际上是一个复杂的过程，涉及多个细胞过程的顺序激活，这些过程已被证明是建立和维持衰老表型所必需的。在这里，我们回顾其中一些过程，即线粒体功能和活性氧的作用、衰老相关分泌蛋白和染色质重塑。最后，我们阐述了系统生物学在解决衰老的机制、功能和生化复杂性方面的应用。
