Notch signaling regulates the lifespan of vascular endothelial cells via a p16-dependent pathway.

Evolutionarily conserved Notch signaling controls cell fate determination and differentiation during development, and is also essential for neovascularization in adults. Although recent studies suggest that the Notch pathway is associated with age-related conditions, it remains unclear whether Notch signaling is involved in vascular aging. Here we show that Notch signaling has a crucial role in endothelial cell senescence. Inhibition of Notch signaling in human endothelial cells induced premature senescence via a p16-dependent pathway. Conversely, over-expression of Notch1 or Jagged1 prolonged the replicative lifespan of endothelial cells. Notch1 positively regulated the expression of inhibitor of DNA binding 1 (Id1) and MAP kinase phosphatase 1 (MKP1), while MKP1 further up-regulated Id1 expression by inhibiting p38MAPK-induced protein degradation. Over-expression of Id1 down-regulated p16 expression, thereby inhibiting premature senescence of Notch1-deleted endothelial cells. These findings indicate that Notch1 signaling has a role in the regulation of endothelial cell senescence via a p16-dependent pathway and suggest that activation of Notch1 could be a new therapeutic target for treating age-associated vascular diseases.