Changes in Microvesicles as a Potential Marker of Cellular Senescence

One of the ways in which cells communicate and react to one another is via vesicles, small membrane-wrapped packets of proteins. Cell signaling in general is an important part of the detrimental effects of senescent cells on tissue function and health, and so changes in signal mechanisms might prove to be a useful marker of the presence of such cells. Now that therapies based on clearance of senescent cells are under active commercial development, there is considerable interest in the scientific community in better ways to identify and classify senescence in tissues. This open access paper is an example of the sort of research presently taking place. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been found to broadly distribute throughout the body and have the potential to differentiate into lineages of mesenchymal tissues such as bone, fat, and cartilage cells. Recently, MSCs have become a promising tool for cell-based therapy in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. There is considerable evidence that MSC senescence is considered as a contributing factor to aging and aging-related diseases and replicative senescence impairs the regenerative potential of MSCs. To better understand and monitor cell senescence in MSCs, it is necessary to have a reliable biomarker for identification of these cells. Unique phenotypic alterations of senescent MSCs have been reported including enlarged morphology, arrested proliferative capability, increased β-galactosidase activity,...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs