Developmental Dynamics, National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI), Imperial College London, London, UK.
EMBO J. 2019 Mar 1;38(5). doi: 10.15252/embj.2019101571. Epub 2019 Feb 15.
Telomere shortening induces cellular senescence in proliferative cells. Yet, it is presently unclear how it is triggered in post‐mitotic cells such as cardiac myocytes. A new study by Anderson (2019) reports that during ageing of the heart, cellular senescence develops independently of telomere length, but is evoked by DNA damage, which preferentially accumulates at the telomere. Removal of senescent cells using senolytic drugs ameliorated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and may inform novel approaches to improve the conditions for the ageing heart.
端粒缩短会导致增殖细胞的衰老。然而,目前尚不清楚它是如何在有丝分裂后细胞(如心肌细胞)中引发的。Anderson (2019)的一项新研究报告称,在心脏衰老过程中,细胞衰老的发生与端粒长度无关,但会被 DNA 损伤所引发,而 DNA 损伤会优先在端粒处积累。使用 senolytic 药物清除衰老细胞可改善心肌肥厚和纤维化,可能为改善衰老心脏的状况提供新的方法。