Senescence as a general cellular response to stress: A mini-review.

Cellular senescence was initially described as the phenomenon of limited cell divisions that normal cells in culture can undergo during long-term-cultivation. Later it was found that senescence may be induced by various stress factors. The intriguing resemblance between stress-induced and replicative senescence makes questionable the distinction between both types and suggests that the cellular senescence is a common outcome of stress response. Growing evidences support the idea that stress-induced senescence is the cell-type specific.