© 2005 Elsevier Science
Exogenous expression of the
When aging and damaged cells undergo apoptosis or malignant transformation, their lives reach a dramatic dénouement: suicide or cancer. But when they undergo senescence, their destiny seems drab in comparison. They irreversibly exit the cell cycle, linger indefinitely, and die of undetermined causes. Senescent fibroblasts, in particular, "get big and flat, and they look ugly," resembling fried eggs, notes Scott W. Lowe, a professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory on Long Island.
For decades, senescent human cells were found only ...