Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys and the La Jolla Institute for Immunology have revealed a new secret regarding senescence, a cellular state similar to sleep that is more likely to affect aged cells. This drowsy condition is known to provide health benefits under certain conditions while also potentially causing collateral damage. Senescence is not all bad.
It is a tumor suppression mechanism that prevents cancer by blocking the proliferation of potentially cancerous cells." Peter D. Adams, PhD, the director of the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author on the new study "It also is involved in orchestrating the wound healing response," added Nirmalya Dasgupta, PhD, instructor at the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, former postdoctoral associate in Adams' lab and first author on the study.
"Through its inflammatory function, it can control tissue repair and wound healing." However, senescence can be a double-edged sword with age and the immune system's declining efficiency at removing senescent cells. As these sleepy cells accumulate to unhealthy levels, they can stop aging tissues from properly regenerating.
"In addition to no longer growing and proliferating, the other hallmark of senescent cells is that they have this inflammatory program causing them to secrete inflammatory molecules," said Adams. Too many of these secreted molecules can contribute to chronic inflammation in the body. This pervasive inflammation -; called "i.