MARZULLO , Marta

Senescence-associated beta-galactosidase (SA-β-GAL) is an enzyme that accumulates in the lysosomes of senescent cells, where it hydrolyses β-galactosides. With p16, it represents a well-recognized biomarker used to assess senescence both in vivo and in cell culture. The use of a chromogenic substrate, such as...

Progressive telomere shortening during lifespan is associated with restriction of cell proliferation, genome instability and aging. Apoptosis and senescence are the two major outcomes upon irreversible cellular damage. Here, we show a transition of these two cell fates during aging of telomerase deficient zebrafish. In young telomerase mutants,...

Telomere shortening occurs in multiple tissues throughout aging. When telomeres become critically short, they trigger DNA damage responses and p53 stabilization, leading to apoptosis or replicative senescence. In vitro, cells with short telomeres activate the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway resulting in type I interferon inflammation and...

Cancer incidence increases exponentially with age when human telomeres are shorter. Similarly, telomerase reverse transcriptase (tert) mutant zebrafish have premature short telomeres and anticipate cancer incidence to younger ages. However, because short telomeres constitute a road block to cell proliferation, telomere shortening is currently...